The Soldier's Battleground
by KenjiPark97
Summary: Jaune wiped the mud from his face as the hissing of bullets speed by his face. A mithra of trenches, blood and gore were spread out as far as his eyes could see. He had joined the war looking for adventure. Instead all he found, was death and destruction. AU Fantasy WW1/BF1 setting. (Pending adoption from someone lol, going to help writer with plot ideas.)
1. Strangers and Soldiers

**Hello and welcome to my story! First things, first. This story is set in an AU Fantasy WW1 setting, so if things don't seem totally 'realistic' that's why. Also, big thanks to 7ima and DragonManMax for helping with editing and idea bouncing.**

 **(Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY)**

* * *

 **The Soldier's Battleground**

 **ザー・ソールジュズ・バタルフィールド**

 **Chapter I: Strangers and Soldiers**

A shrill whistle rang throughout the air as a young man dove into a nearby crater, narrowly missing the catastrophic explosion which followed. However, not everyone was as fortunate, as he was showered in more blood, viscera and bone fragments – the remains of his comrades, his squad. Spent ammo casings began to litter the ground as many returned fire, eager to avenge the fallen.

 _'This is not how things should have gone! The plan was simple; attack early in the morning under the cover of darkness and fog, and overrun the enemy trenches. But this…'_

The young man raised his head and peered out of his precarious cover and into the embankment of dirt, only to see many of his fellow soldiers lying dead, bloody, and wounded across the expansion of mud and gore known as 'No Man's Land'. Still the battle raged on, as the sound of gunfire and the harrowing scream of men echoed throughout the battlefield.

"…is a living hell." He clenched his rifle tightly in his hands, his knuckles, slowly turning white under the pressure. "But it must be done."

Grimacing he quickly crawled out of the hole and charging towards the enemy lines with an anguished, yet determined battle-cry…

* * *

Luscious, a single word that was able to describe the tranquil land which Atlas ruled. Rolling hills and soft meadows were bordered by dense forests teeming with life and vitality. It was a wonderful haven to live and grow up in. You couldn't find a more tranquil and peaceful place to live, well... at least before the war began.

But now that image was no more, the hills were now home to miles of trenches and dugouts built to protect those taking refuge inside of them. The once soft meadows, were now stained with mud, blood and decay. Deep scars littered the ground, evidence of the battles fought and won. The wails of wounded souls echoed from both sides and could be heard day and night as they lay atop the desecrated ground, waiting to be found or to be lost and forgotten. With the raw material in high demand, forests had been completely deforested for use in buildings or trench work, leaving no evidence that they were once there. The wildlife was no longer thriving but scattered or killed in the fighting. If one wanted to know what turmoil and strife was, then they would not have to look any further to find out. Still, even with all these horrendous conditions, thousands of men and women took shelter in these trenches. These trenches were nothing less than home to them, and the war was their life.

A young man walked along the wooden boards that were lain on the trench floors and every so often slightly ducking when an incoming barrage of enemy fire tore up the ground above him. He paid little attention to these rounds as they were merely more for range gauging and keeping them appropriately suppressed. It was the same as usual for those who had been fighting for quite some time, however, it was the ones who had yet to see their first battle were the jittery ones. White knuckles and wide eyes belied their nervousness, while he on the other hand had fought in quite a few battles so he was not as jittery as those around him. Still didn't that mean he wasn't nervous, but he wasn't going to let that show, not around his men.

After making his way through a few more trench paths he paused and looked down at the map in his right hand. It held vital mission plans for the attack the following morning. Still no matter how fancy the plan could sound, the main goal was getting himself and his fellow soldier to the other side without getting killed. That would mean crossing a barren wasteland filled with mud, crater holes and barbed wire, all while incessant gunfire tried to stop them.

The young man walked over to where a periscope was set up and looked through it to survey the land that would once more, become a battlefield tomorrow. Muddy grounds and scarred, uneven terrain stretched on for what seemed forever in each direction, a statement not too far off when the combatant's trenches were longer than the human eye could see. Sporadic gunfire and the occasional shell exploding was what he could observe. However, it would be much more accurate to get a grasp if he stuck his head out above the trenches and peeked, although that would undoubtedly end with him being headless, so the periscope would have to do.

Still even with the limited view, he knew that the upcoming battle would decide something one way or the other, and it would be drenched in blood to prove it. The young man sighed deeply and leaned back from the periscope, before starting to make his way over to a small patch of mud which was relatively clean and unoccupied. One thing every soldier learned quickly, is that even with how long the trenches were, if you didn't find a spot to sit down then you would be standing, possible the entire day if you could find no openings.

After sitting down, he began to service his equipment. He inspected his standard issued rifle which was distributed among the ranks. Supposedly another rifle that was much better than this one was going to be issued soon, but due to the time constraint, it would first be equipped to soldiers moving up to the frontlines, and when time permitted, would completely replace the current model he and his fellow comrades possessed.

Feeling something cold touch his skin, his gaze fell to a long piece of pointed metal. Even with firearms a common sight in the military, sometimes it all came down to a weapon created some millennia ago – a knife. Or in this case a bayonet that could be affixed to the end of the rifle. Close quarter was bound to happen in the looming battle and the thought of getting that close to the enemy to have to use it, didn't make him happy. When the enemy also had the same feature on their rifles as well, one small mistake would cost you your life.

He shook his head, desperately willing the dark thoughts away, it wouldn't be good for his nerves to think too deeply on this subject. It would only serve to consume him after all. Before long, his thoughts began to drift to his naivety. After graduating from school and finally escaping his family and home town, he had made his way to the nearest city and hopped a ride that would lead him to a recruitment station, or so he hoped. With the onset of the war, the Atlas government issued a draft that every able bodied man and woman would have to join the military and defend the front lines. So regardless of him running away, he most likely would have been drafted to serve, seeing that a draft had to be issued showed how dire the situation was. He was pulled out of his musing when a soldier walked by, accidentally bumping one of his boots. A short, inaudible grumble was given before the soldier kept on his walk.

Sending over two brigades was something that had yet to be done so far in the war, as to why such a large amount of soldiers were needed for a rather insignificant target was above Lieutenant Jaune Arc's pay rank. But orders were orders and they had to be carried out by the glories ones known as grunts or by a more slang term 'gravel agitators'. Seeing as the sun was falling and night approaching, Jaune noticed to a certain degree, the amount of small talk increasing amongst the trench's occupants. Not one to judge as it was a way to help calm the nerves, Jaune busied himself with his own thoughts until a bright light shone above him. He looked up to see a flare had been fired and was now illuminating the area between the two sides. Further down the line another flare was fired off and so on as needed. If one were to look back on this war and add up the amount of currency was spent on the flares used alone, the total would make a dead man turn over in his grave. But any concern was quickly dismissed.

* * *

On the morning of the eve of battle, the clouds were charcoal grey whilst rain peppered the soldiers below. Most people found themselves inside sitting down to their morning meal, but the Atlesian trenches were one of bustle and slight chaos as orders were given by commanding officers to their men. A massive operation was about to commence and everyone's nerves were at an all-time high, as the death toll, was sure to be high in the coming fight.

Preparation continued and after the plan had been relayed, the soldiers found themselves lining both sides of the trench with officers walking down the middle, dreading the oncoming slaughter. Soon the order was given and the wall facing the enemy was soon also lined with wooden ladders. Afterwards an order was sent down the ranks.

"Fix bayonets!"

Everyone started to pull their bayonets out of their sheaths and affixed them to the end of their rifles, steeling themselves. A few tense moments later an officer looked down at his watch and raised the whistle to his lips, the tension spiked immediately.

 _ **Fweeee! Fweeee!**_

The shrill whistle could be heard throughout the trench, signaling the beginning of the battle. A battle cry erupted from the Atlesian soldiers as they started to climb the ladders. Jaune felt himself joining in the cry as he gripped his rifle tightly in his hands. Gunfire erupted from the enemy side and Jaune watched in slight horror as soldiers started falling back into the trench riddled with bullet holes. Some would find themselves still climbing the ladder before a bullet would strike them ending their life as they tumbled backwards. While others had only just gone a few feet before being struck down. But this was war and even though many died just getting out of the trench, the Atlesian soldiers pushed forward.

Even though the floor of the trench was now running with the blood of those who had been hit, Jaune forced himself to step over the casualties and grip the side of the ladder. The moment he started climbing the ladder he knew he would be leaving the safety and protection this trench offered. After climbing out of the trench, he ducked low and started to advance through the hail of bullets being sent by the enemy. A crater was just up ahead and he successfully was able to reach it without being hit by anything. That moment of relief was shattered when an explosion went off right beside him and a mangled body came flying into the crater, muddy water flying everywhere as the corpse hit the ground.

Jaune wiped his face to clear the mud that splashed his face when the body landed. He gripped his rifle before peering out of the crater and raising it to his shoulder. A target presented itself to him and he pulled the trigger. Time was not on his side and he did not have the time to check if he hit his target before looking down and raking back the cocking bolt to eject the spent round. He shoved the bolt forward and a new round was loaded and ready to fire. Crawling out of the crater Jaune gave a quick look around and couldn't see any of his squad, which either meant they had been separated or killed. The latter was more likely though, sadly.

As the Atlesian soldiers pushed towards the enemy, the land behind them was littered with the many bodies of the dead and wounded. The more ground they gained, the more casualties they suffered. If circumstances permitted it, then medics would be sent out to treat the wounded but things looked grim for those who lay crying in pain. Still even though this was happening all around, progress was being made and Jaune was able to see the enemy lines come more clearly into view. The rain obscured vision but by now both sides were upon each other and it didn't matter.

The time had come when Jaune fired off the last bullet in his rifle and the enemy trench was right in front of him, he raised his rifle to block a bayonet thrust his way before shoving his own bayonet into the enemy's throat, grimacing as blood splattered across his face. He wrenched the bayonet out before jumping down into the trench. Now it was all up to skill to see who could kill the other person first. Rifles were fired point blank at each other, bayonets clashed, and the screams of those being hit filled the air. Even though they had received training, many of the new soldiers fell to the enemy. Things looked grim, if they couldn't capture the trench then they would be forced to fall back, making all the sacrifices made for naught.

Jaune swung his rifle, which was followed by a sickening crunch as he clubbed the enemy in the face. He wasn't given a break as another one came charging at him, a cry upon their cracked lips. He side stepped at the last moment and threw an underhanded punch to the man's lower abdomen, tearing the air from their lungs. The man stumbled and Jaune used that time to slash him across the throat.

* * *

The struggling continued for quite some time but in the end the Atlesian soldiers had been victorious and the trench had been captured. A moment to relaxation was presented to Jaune and he took that time to load another clip into his rifle, raking the bolt forward. Sporadic gunfire could still be heard but the area around Jaune had been completely cleared. He looked around to see if he could spot any of his squad but couldn't recognize anyone, while on that matter, back in their trench the soldiers had been shoulder to shoulder lining both sides of the trench, but judging by the ones remaining, everyone could line up on one side of the trench with a comfortable space separating each of them. Almost half of the soldiers they started out with had been killed or wounded in the fight to take over the trench – a pyrrhic victory for the Atlesians.

Still the mission was not over yet. They still had to take over the city to complete the operation. More orders came from division headquarters, the 276th battalion would push forward into the city, while the other two remaining battalions would remain in the trenches and provide reinforcements if needed. Jaune saw that everyone around him was getting into a very loose sense of order and after a few moments the order to advance was given. This would be another difficult part, crossing no man's land was hard enough, but this time there were not nearly as many craters or things to hide behind, it would be up to how fast one could cover the open ground into the town. Once that was over they still needed to take the town itself. A dark thought flashed through Jaune's mind that no one would survive this battle due to all the danger involved. Another cry went up from the remaining 276th battalion Atlesian soldiers as they started to charge across the relatively open ground to the city, though this time the incoming fire was even more intense than when they were trying to take over the trench. They had lost many soldiers just to rifle fire and close quarter combat, but this time the enemy gunfire now consisted of artillery rounds exploding into the ranks of the advancing Atlesian forces, sending many a soldier to their very quick and often gruesome demise.

Jaune pumped his legs to move even faster, though his muscles screamed in pain from the strain he was putting on them. He ran for a little while longer before he came upon a small hill of dirt where he hid behind just in time before an artillery shell exploded right in front of him showering him with a cloud of dirt and mud. The sounds of wounded could be heard as shrapnel flew through the air penetrating many unfortunate souls. A small hope was found when they roughly crossed halfway across the open ground and were able to hide behind some cover. This of course brought its own problems as they were now being rained upon by rifle fire again, but a sound started to fill the air that truly made any soldier fear. That sound was the consistent crackle of gunfire as the Imperials used their machine guns. A weapon which could fire many times faster than a rifle and was capable of mowing down countless troops before having to reload. In a sense it was even more dangerous than artillery.

Even though there was some small dirt hills and debris to hide behind, it did little against the onslaught the Atlesian troops were facing. Jaune lifted his head long enough to locate where one of the machine guns was firing from before ducking back down behind cover. He may have lost his squad, but he still was a lieutenant and he gathered four others to follow him. Their objective was going to try and knock out that machine gun, and if possible create an opening for their forces to break through. A grenade was not supposed to be used in the way Jaune was about to use it, but it was the closest thing that available at hand. After giving a few simple hand motions, the four soldiers stood up to give Jaune some covering fire as he ran straight forward towards the machine gun.

When he got almost close enough to throw the grenade, he was met with blistering machine gun fire and he chucked the grenade at the position, although it fell short a few feet. While it didn't explode where he wanted it to which was the machine gun, it did make the crew handling the gun to duck for cover, and that was all he needed. An opening had presented itself and he used the few precious seconds he was granted to run forward the rest of the way and chuck another grenade right where he wanted it to go.

 ** _Kawoom!_**

The consistent crackle of gunfire had stopped and some of the Atlesian soldiers heaved a sigh of relief, at least one problem was out of the way. Jaune on the other hand was in a bit of a pinch, in order to run without a problem, he had left his rifle behind and was now pretty much defenseless. Well he did have his bayonet with him in its sheath, but that would only be effective if he was right in front of an enemy soldier. That left only one thing to do, run straight at the enemy and take a weapon from them. He pulled out his bayonet and scrambled the rest of the way to the machine gun nest, upon arriving there he found one of the gunners severely wounded but still alive. A quick slitting of the throat took care of that problem and the enemy soldier lay still.

 _'That's out of the way, now where is a weapon I can use?'_

Jaune quickly looked around for something to use but found nothing of use.

"Great just my luck!" He ducked to avoid some enemy fire. A logical answer would be to use the machine gun as a weapon, but this weapon was meant to be operated by two people if not three, and the fact that it was damaged by the grenade he threw didn't help the cause. His predicament was answered in a roundabout way, when a fellow soldier dived into the machine gun pit and after firing off a round, got shot in the chest and fell down. Jaune reached over and gave basic first aid to the man before taking the rifle and ammo belt. The fighting had now become close quarter once again and soon the first line of enemy defense for the city had fallen. But at the rate the Atlesian soldiers were being killed, taking the city was becoming a major challenge.

This was war though and they had their orders, so Jaune along with the remaining friendly forces pushed into the city. While providing good cover to hide behind, taking the town brought about its own problems. Enemy snipers now joined the fray, alongside more enemy machine guns. The fighting had become gruesome and just trying to survive was a problem in of itself.

Jaune and a few other men had just successfully taken over another machine gun position, but this time the gun was undamaged and fully operational. With the help of the others, Jaune rolled the gun into a position that would be able to fire at the enemy. Once everything was set up, he opened fire on the enemy soldiers, making many of them dive for cover as to not get hit. With many casualties and wounded happening along the way, the Atlesian soldiers slowly pushed into the town and started to drive the enemy back. Things seemed to be going fairly well considering the circumstances. And soon over half the town had fallen under allied control. Enemy resistance had all but fallen and victory seemed close at hand. In all of the gore and bloodshed, Lieutenant Jaune Arc had successfully led and captured three machine gun positions and killed many enemy soldiers, but all that was all for not. Jaune was making his way to an enemy position alongside his fellow soldiers when an explosion went off. He felt his body become airborne for a few seconds before blacking out from the force of impact as his body slammed into a nearby building.

* * *

As the 276th battalion pushed the enemy back, with the losses they incurred, the other battalion was called to provide reinforcements. Despite the hardships and casualties along the way, after some time had passed the city of Ravenswood had finally been taken over by the Atlesian military. This would have marked the first time in the war that an Atlesian city had been taken back from the Imperial military, but the casualties involved in taking this town meant that it never quite made headline news. They had started the operation with over seven thousand soldiers participating, they had lost over half their numbers taking over the trenches, and the 276th which Jaune was a part of, lost over eighty percent of their forces trying to cross the open ground into the city. But the real shocker was after so many of their forces, the remaining soldiers were killed retaking the city. Almost all of them. If not for the other two battalions being called up the city would have fallen back under enemy control.

Of the two brigades that participated in the operation, only a few remained from the 276th, everyone else had been killed or mortally wounded. An Atlesian city may have been taken for the first time in the war, but this battle also marked the first time an entire battalion being wiped out in one operation. Before the war ended, many battalions would dissolve and combine with other battalions when losses occurred. But this time was not one them. Due to the delicacy of the situation and public moral, the Atlesian government manipulated the truth. The fact that an Atlesian city had been retaken was released, but it was said only one brigade participated and only a third of their forces had been killed. The knowledge of the 276th battalion participating in the battle was never released. Thinking that an amazing victory had been won by Atlas, the government thought they had made the right decision.

Still, even the dead had a way of surviving.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	2. Letters To Home

**The next chapter! Big shout out to DragonManMax and 7ima for editing this chapter!**

 **Any and all feedback is welcome**

 **(I do not own RWBY)**

* * *

 **The Soldier's Battleground**

 **ザー・ソールジュズ・バタルフィールド**

 **Chapter II: Letters to Home**

The sun beat down upon the earth with a comforting warmth and bathed the land with a soft glow as its rays glistened upon the ground. A young man slowly raised his arm to cover his eyes from the unrelenting glare as he gazed upon the place that would soon become his home for the foreseeable future. He felt a small bead of sweat gradually trickled down his sun-kissed cheek and roughly wiped his face across his sleeves.

After peace had finally been announced, the young man who had started his long journey from the war-torn cities that he had fought to free, turned his gaze behind him and noted the sign above him. Home sweet home.

While it was a fairly small town, it was heralded for its scrumptious stews and annual snow festival held every year. But nevertheless, it was home, the home he had left behind to go fight in a horrific war. But in the end, the tranquility and serenity of the quant town was preserved and that was all that mattered.

The young man leaned over and reached for the drawing board and his bag, before setting them over his shoulders. Putting both of his hands on the straps of his bag, he started the final leg of his journey. To his home.

 _'Finally some peace and quiet in my life.'_ The young man thought with a mellow sigh as the sun's light shined upon the lone man.

* * *

 **(A few weeks after Operation Ravenswood)**

Jaune's pleasant dream abruptly ended when the shouts of soldiers scrambling for their shoes aroused him from his sleep. All traces of drowsiness vanished as the primal urge to survive kicked in and he quickly scrambled out of his dirty cot and reached for his rifle, raking the bolt back.

"Where's the attack coming from?!" He yelled at an ecstatic looking soldier running by him. The private stopped at the sudden yell and looked at Jaune confused. "What attack sir? The mail has just arrived from behind the lines!" The young lad bumbled exuberantly before dashing off.

"Mail?!" After hearing the exciting news, Jaune quickly shoved his feet into his boots, not even bothering to lace them up before running out of his tent and joining the throng of excited people. Mail on the front lines was a rare occurrence as getting the precious letters through all the mud, grim, and artillery rounds was a difficult task in of itself. For every letter that was received from their loved ones back home, having one or two being lost was not an uncommon event. Same could be said when the soldiers wrote back home, as the mail had to make the journey back through the quagmire and filth before being shipped back to their loved ones.

Therefore it could be anywhere from weeks to months before the next letter was received from the opposite side. Needless to say mail was a tremendous morale booster.

As the crowd around the mail truck grew bigger and more rambunctious with excitement, Jaune couldn't help but smile with the joyous atmosphere as he got closer to the crowd. A rather loud yell pierced the air making everyone look to where the sound originated. A rather short statured young woman was standing on top of the truck with her hands on her hips and a small scowl on her face.

"Alright everyone shut up so I can start handing out this mail! And if anyone of you makes too much noise so no can hear me, I will personally introduce you to the ground!"

Now having been witness to the short woman doing this a few weeks back to a few soldiers, Jaune wisely kept his mouth shut, as did everyone else who respected the diminutive woman.

Time seemed to fly as letters were thrown to ecstatic recipients and packages passed along to covetous hands, each wondering what goodies awaited inside the wrappings. In what seemed like a blink of an eye an entire morning and a fair portion of the afternoon was wasted before all the mail was successfully handed out.

As the crowd started to disperse, Jaune noticed a camera was being set-up on top of the truck and paused in his journey to his tent to hold up his mail and smile at the cameraman, his eyes crinkling. Everyone still in the area followed his example and posed with grins and laughter adorning their faces. A bright flash, followed by a short puff of smoke was seen as the camera immortalized the moment in history. The moment was captured just in time as what sounded like a piercing whistle was heard as experienced veterans dove for the ground, cradling their heads.

"Incoming fire! Everyone get down!" Jaune yelled, right before enemy artillery rounds smashed into the ground, sending mud and human debris flying into the air. On a battlefield, there was many things that soldiers feared, one of those being the deadly artillery rounds currently shredding ground and man apart. The only thing one could do was making yourself as small as possible and pray that death did not claim you as its victim. Jaune closed his eyes as fast as he could and put his arms over his head in a futile attempt to shield himself from the hell raining down from above.

 _'Mother if I survive this war, I'm going to give you the biggest bone crushing hug when I see you again.'_ Jaune's thoughts were abruptly interrupted as he felt himself get thrown into the air before gravity dragged him right back down. Even though his vision was swimming, a large smoking metal shell half buried in a small crater right next to him made all thoughts of dizziness disappear, as the call of death missed him in the form of a dud shell. Jaune quickly scrambled away from the potential danger and into a nearby artificial crater, compliments of another shell that had exploded.

 _'I really hate my life right now!'_

Much to everyone's relief, the bombardment ceased soon after and slowly one by one the battered soldiers crawled out of their hiding places. Jaune surveyed the carnage around him and felt the bile rise in his throat. Remains of what used to be humans were scattered around the area and the stench of death hung heavily in the air. Shredded and burnt paper could be found firmly clenched in the hands of the dead, regardless of whether the appendage was attached or not. The gruesome task of finding some sort of identification on the mangled bodies began, and in just a few minutes a bundle of bloody, dented dog tags roughly the size of a baseball hung in Jaune's bloody hands. The dead had paid their price in blood, while the living had to pick up the pieces and move on through the hell that was war.

The cheerful atmosphere was now shattered and every so often one could hear sobbing coming from a soldier breaking down in tears. Wanting to find a distraction, Jaune pulled out the package he had received earlier in the morning and sat down on the cold, hard ground before carefully opening the wrapping. Inside, he found a small silver pendent with a picture of his siblings and his parents neatly tucked inside. Ever so gently he closed the lid and put the pendent over his head before letting it rest on his neck, taking comfort with the weight on his chest.

Jaune reached into the package and pulled out a pair of hand knitted wool gloves, of all sorts of colors. He slipped them on and felt his hands grow warm from the fabric. Before he could read the letter that his family sent, a siren started wailing in the cold atmosphere, signaling a ground attack was underway from the enemy. Speakers located right next to the sirens blared an ominous message.

 _ **"Enemy forces have broken through our front lines! I repeat enemy forces have broken through our front lines! All available personnel move out to reinforce the trenches!"**_

The sound of trucks starting up filled the air as soldiers started to pile into the back of the trucks. Jaune stuffed his letter quickly back into his pocket before locating a rifle and a belt of ammunition. After hefting himself up to a nearby truck, the vehicle started to rumble towards what was certain death.

* * *

Sitting in the back of the truck was anything but comfortable. The benches were nothing more than a thin piece of metal to sit on. Any little bump in the road would jar the occupants but it still beat walking by a long shot. The unswerving rattle of gunfire and artillery grew louder as time went by and before long, sporadic bullets could be heard ricocheting off the trucks, increasing the nerves of skittish recruits.

When danger is present, the human body will naturally start to pump more blood to its limbs, adrenaline will kick in, and the flight or fight instinct will rear its head. Sadly death doesn't care what choice or reaction you have, no one is safe from its clutches.

The whistling of a round pierced the air, only to be stopped by an unfortunate soldier's throat. Jaune felt blood and pieces of skin hit the side of his face when the soldier next to him crumpled from the wound, choking on his own blood. Even though the chances of dying for the wounded soldier was high, Jaune knelt down and tried to stop the blood gushing from his neck. Every soldier was equipped with a small pouch of basic medical equipment, ranging from small scissors to a few rolls of bandages. Jaune worked quickly and soon enough the bleeding had stopped, and the soldier while unconscious was still haggardly breathing. This small victory was interrupted when enemy artillery shells started landing all around. The truck next to Jaune's was blown apart from a direct hit and started to roll from the explosion. Nerves were now running high and he felt his hand slightly tremble from the stress going through his body. He clenched his hand and took a deep breath before turning to the rest of the occupants in the back of the truck.

"Alright lads this is it! Remember your training and you'll make it out of this just fine."

Fate deemed it necessary to mock this statement as an artillery shell landed right next to Jaune's truck, making it tip over from the force. Men and equipment who were thrown from the bed of truck landed into the mud were some unfortunately were killed by the stray bullet whistling by.

Jaune being one of the flung, found himself face down in the mud and detritus. Groggily raising his head, he felt his vision swim from the intense impact of slamming the ground. Shaking off the brief dizzy spell, he looked around his immediate surroundings to assess his situation. The sounds of gunfire and men could now be heard filling the dreary and overcast sky.

 _'I have to organize the men and reinforce our trenches from the enemy.'_

Grabbing a rifle that lay a few feet from him he raised his right arm in the air, rallying the troops.

"Everyone on me! Let's go!" He turned to the sound of fighting and started to jog over the wet ground. Soon enough the telltale sight of raised ground and sandbags showed he had reached the rear of the allied trenches. Wasting no time in being exposed longer than needed, he jumped down into the trench with a dull thud. He paused shortly while he affixed his bayonet, before swiftly making his way to the frontline.

The sight that greeted him was many bodies littering the ground of the trench, some of them lacking the appropriate appendages. He scowled at the sight but still made his way to the raised ground so that he could level his rifle on the enemy crossing 'No Man's Land'. Lining up a shot he pulled the trigger, wincing as he saw a man fall to the ground – lifeless. He reached up and raked the bolt back, ejecting the spent cartridge, before shoving it back forward and chambering a new round. Gunfire was exchanged for a few more minutes before the two forces clashed. His breath caught and he quickly leaned to the left to avoid a bayonet about to skewer him in the face.

 _'I love my job…'_ He thought sarcastically before firing at the enemy soldier point blank, his face, impassive as blood splattered across it.

Jaune crudely wiped the blood from his eyes before refocusing his vision on the fight.

Said fight was not going well, the Imperial troops had pressed their attack and sooner rather than later the Atlesian soldiers would have to fall back if they wanted to stay alive. The sound of gunfire and metal meeting flesh saturated the air and the screams of the wounded created a song only found through violence and bloodshed.

Jaune felt his lungs and legs burn from the amount of energy he had expended in the ensuing fight but when each side was trying their hardest to kill the other person nobody really cared if you were tired or not, it just made for an easier target. Hearing a yell coming from his left, Jaune ducked just in time to miss a bayonet that would have more than likely hit him in the chest. Not one to miss an opening he threw out his left leg and made the enemy soldier lose his balance and fall to the floor in a heap. Jaune reached behind his back and felt the familiar weight of his knife's handle in his grip. He quickly pulled it out and speared the Imperial soldier in the gut once, followed up by a series of repetitive stabs as he ensured his kill.

Gunfire and blades crossed for a while longer before the last of the Imperial soldiers fell or retreated back to their own lines. A general sense of relief was felt by all the remaining Atlesian soldiers as some breathing room was finally given. This also meant that the majority of their friendly forces had also fallen giving a literary sense to the meaning.

Jaune took the small lull in violence to look down at the bloody knife in his hand. He frowned at the dirtied blade and wiped it off on his pants before looking at the inscription on the blade. **"Crocea Mors"** According to his parents, the knife was given as a gift to his great-great-grandfather for his valiant service on the battlefield, and as its possession was passed down from father to son, the craftsmanship showed how resilient the blade was. When Jaune left his parents house, he took the knife as it was a symbol of the Arc family. Still, looking back it probably wasn't the best idea considering if he died on a random piece of mud the blade would be lost for a very long time if not forever.

He was pulled out of his musings when an explosion went off showering everyone near it with shrapnel and mud. A searing pain bloomed on the right side of his chest. Looking down he saw that a piece of shrapnel had grazed his side leaving a small gash of blood and broken skin behind.

"Ah that's gonna leave a mark..." He grimaced painfully as he held his side to help stop the flow of blood. A primal yell made Jaune look up to see another wave of Imperial soldiers charging at the Atlesian trenches. He sheathed his knife before raising his rifle to his shoulder. The sounds of battle once again filled the air.

* * *

Even though the first wave of Imperial soldiers had been defeated, there was not enough Atlas soldiers left to properly defend against a second wave, despite the valiant efforts of the Atlesian soldiers, they were soon pushed back and Jaune found himself running down one of the trenches that lead to the rear of allied lines. Running on wood was easier than running on mud, but when it's wet and grimy, it can be quite slick and Jaune felt himself lose his balance. Landing rather heavily onto the floor he looked up to see the soldier that was in front of him get killed by a round.

"Damn that could have been me." He quickly stood up and continued running away from the overwhelming enemy force behind his back. He was no coward but neither was he suicidal, and staying to defend the trenches would only lead to a painful death. The general layout of a trench had a frontline trench with smaller trenches leading back towards either more trenches or friendly lines. Jaune stopped his running momentarily and took cover behind a bend in one of the smaller trenches to line up a shot. A few seconds later an Imperial soldier that was running down the smaller trench met his demise as Jaune fired his rifle right into the enemy's head making him crumple to the ground. Jaune reloaded his rifle before turning around and resuming his retreat to friendly lines. In between running for his life and keeping the soldiers around him moving, he paused every once and awhile to return fire to the advancing Imperial soldiers making their way through the now fallen Atlesian trenches.

After crawling out over the rear trench, Jaune rallied some soldiers to provide cover fire for the retreating army, and to give a chance to grab the wounded lying on the ground. The thin line of defense crumbled as enemy soldiers started to pour out over the trench walls, having his hand forced Jaune grabbed the soldier nearest him.

"Come on! We have to keep moving, everyone fall back!" A sudden heaviness made Jaune look back to see the soldier he had grabbed slump to the ground with multiple bullet holes covering his body. He let go of the unfortunate soul and continued to direct and defend the men around him as best he could.

Relief came when friendly artillery forced the enemy to fall back into the safety of the now taken over Atlas trenches. The battle had finally ended leaving a massive amount of dead and wounded on both sides to take care of. A small amount of peace had been achieved when medical personnel did their best to recover the wounded and gunfire ceased so that they could do their gruesome job.

* * *

Jaune slowly walked through a row of boxes and equipment and paused when he thought he heard someone sniffling behind a crate. Making his way over to the sound he found a young man huddled with his knees up to his chest and his arms wrapped around his legs.

Even though he didn't want to startle the young man when he cleared his throat, the soldier jerked from the noise obviously surprised.

"You okay there private?" Jaune looked down to the scared gaze of the boy.

"Uh y-yes sir, just a bit cold is all." He gestured to a spot next the young boy and asked if he could sit down.

After sliding down, Jaune closed his eyes before opening his mouth. "What's your name private?"

The soldier looked over and said. "It's Taylor sir."

"How old are you if you don't mind me asking?"

"I'm 17 years old."  
 _  
'He's so young and yet he has to fight in this bloody war. Then again I'm not much older than he is.'_

"Sir have you been in this war for some time?" Jaune nodded his assent, gesturing for the boy to continue. "How, how do you do it? Fight I mean, aren't you scared?"

"How do I do it? Hmm that's a hard question to answer, I guess it all boils down to me wanting to go home and the only way for that to happen is to kill the other person before they kill me. And everyone is scared, it's our first instinct to shy away from danger, but you learn how to control that fear, it's alright to feel it, but don't let it control you."

The young boy looked at the tired sergeant and wondered how anyone could survive in this hellish nightmare. Behind a row of boxes two young individuals sat, fighting their own mental demons. This quiet moment between them ended when the overhead PA system crackled to life, Jaune cracked open one of eyes and turned his head to the message being announced over their heads. Unsurprisingly it was decided by people above their pay-grade that losing the trenches was not an option and an attack would be made immediately to reclaim what was rightfully theirs.

Jaune leaned his head back against the box and gathered his thoughts. _'If someone told me a few years ago that I would be risking my life over a piece of mud, I would have laughed them off for such a stupid idea.'_ Jaune pushed himself up into a standing position and reached a hand towards the private. "We should get geared up, we've got a trench to take back."

Taylor looked at the outstretched hand offered to him and hesitated to grab it. After a few moments of silence Jaune gave a small smile to the boy. "Stick with me and I'll do my best to keep you safe." After hearing this, Taylor grabbed Jaune's hand and was pulled up. They both went and grabbed their gear before gathering were the main offensive force was assembling. Jaune's hand went up to the small necklace hanging off his chest and lightly touched it before letting his hand drop onto his rifle. Soon the command to fix bayonets was called and Jaune reached down to grab the long piece of metal from its sheath. After attaching the close quarter weapon to the end of his rifle, he looked over to find Taylor fumbling with attaching his bayonet. Reaching over he took the bayonet from the young boy's shaking hands and attached it to the end of the boy's rifle. Jaune put both of his hands on Taylor's shoulders and gently squeezed. "Focus, take a deep breath, follow me, and I'll get you through this." The young boy took a deep breath and closed his eyes momentarily before opening them and cast a look to Jaune. "Good, now remember feeling fear in a stressful situation is natural, but don't let it control you, a healthy amount of fear that is controlled will help keep you alive." Taylor was about to nod when the sounds of death filled the air.

* * *

"Move, move, move!"

"Keep the pressure on!"

"Stay low, pick your target's!"

"Medic!"

Jaune felt the rush of adrenaline coursing through his body as the sounds of battle filled the air, Command had asked an almost impossible task. They not only wanted to recapture the fallen Atlesian trenches but to continue and press the attack in the hopes of taking over the Imperial trench lines. A task easier said than done, A piece of weaponry that was supposed to help push back the enemy and break the stalemate was the machine gun, unfortunately Imperials had captured and reversed engineered their own version of the machine gun, making both sides unable to push the other side back without losing many personnel to the withering fire of the machine gun. Said creation was making Jaune and many soldiers around him question their survival as the Imperial soldiers were not about to give up the former Atlesian trenches.

Taking cover behind a broken wagon Jaune peered around the corner and located where one of the machine guns was, as it rained hellish fire upon the Atlesian soldiers. Continuing his search, he saw a crater about ten meters in front of him. That would be his next spot. He turned to the other soldier taking cover behind the wagon with him.

"There's a crater about ten meters in front of us! You and you!" He pointed at two of the soldiers. "When I give the signal, give us covering fire." Jaune looked at one of the boys and nodded.

"You ready Taylor?" The boy nodded. Jaune leaned around the wagon and popped off a round before taking cover as a few shots peppered the wood around him. "Now!" The two Atlas soldiers stood up and fired their weapons. Jaune motioned to Taylor to follow him. Ten meters is not a very far distance to cover, but when you add in the fact that people were trying to kill you, the distance could have been a mile away. Sliding the last few feet, Jaune rolled into the crater, moments later Taylor did the same thing and both found a new place to take cover in. The soldiers who had provided covering fire tried to do the same thing but both were cut down by enemy fire before they could reach the safety of the crater.

Jaune took a deep breath before looking over at the young boy. "Follow right behind me!" After saying this, Jaune scrambled out of the crater and started to run at the Imperial soldiers in the trench.  
 _  
'Not one of my smartest ideas.'_ Seeing an enemy soldier aim right at him he rolled to avoid the incoming round. _'I am not dying today; this piece of mud is mine!'_ Jaune let out a yell as he thrust out his rifle. The bayonet pierced the Imperial soldiers uniform and sliced right through their body before sticking out the other side. With relatively nothing to stop his momentum Jaune fell into the trench atop the now dead Imperial soldier, once again the sides were joined in hand to hand combat. Not having enough room to pull out his rifle Jaune swung his right fist into the face of another Imperial soldier stunning them momentarily, it was enough time for Jaune to pull out Crocea Mors from its sheath, but the human's will to live flares when immediate danger is present. Before Crocea Mors could claim another person, two hands shot up and grabbed onto the blade stopping its downward path. Jaune and the enemy soldier struggled to overpower the other person in the brawl. With a burst of strength, the Imperial soldier redirected the knife to the side of their face and Jaune soon felt an elbow meet his face momentarily stunning him. That was all the time the Imperial soldier needed as they grabbed Crocea Mors and lunged at Jaune.

 _'This is it, I can't avoid the strike.'_ But the strike never came as a shot rang out and the Imperial soldier dropped the knife to look down at the pool of blood forming from his destroyed heart before falling over. Jaune looked up to see an Atlesian soldier rechambering his rifle. Not a second later the soldier fell over dead as a round tore through his head splattering Jaune with bits of blood and brain matter. He grimaced at the sight but pushed the image to the back of his mind as he located Crocea Mors, when he went to reach for his rifle that was still stuck in the enemy soldier, his shoulder felt like it was on fire and Jaune stumbled backwards as an enemy soldier had grazed his left shoulder with bayonet blade.

 _'What is it with you people and grazing me?'_ Time seemed to slow as Jaune raised Crocea Mors above his head and after flicking his wrist, the knife left his hand and spun a few times before sticking into the Imperial soldiers face with a sickening crunch. Jaune felt the bile rise in his throat but swallowed hard to push it back down. He reached over and pulled out Crocea Mors from the enemy's skull. After sheathing his knife in its sheath Jaune gave a quick glance around to locate his rifle. After locating and reloading the weapon Jaune noticed that the rear of the Atlesian trenches had been taken back from the Imperial forces and said enemy was steadily being pushed back to their own lines. The trench floor was soaked in the blood of the dead and mortally wounded as soldiers of both side fell in the blood bath. Atlas would reclaim their trenches back from the enemy but not without paying death its price for the piece of land.

After what seemed like hours of fighting, Jaune saw the last of the Imperial soldiers clamoring over the trench walls back to the safety of their own trenches. But getting a brief moment to rest was not an option as they had orders to not only retake their own trenches but to make an assault on the enemy's trench as well.

Jaune gripped his rifle in his hands and exhaled loudly before starting the longest climb a soldier didn't want to make. Climbing out of the protection of the trench and into 'No Man's Land'. Many soldiers on both sides would find their demise the second their heads were exposed and would fall back missing parts of their faces. The rest would find themselves taking no more than a few steps before being cut down, and if one were to avoid all of that, then the harrowing journey across a landscape of mud, craters, decaying bodies, and blistering enemy fire would surely take you down. One could consider themselves very lucky if they made it all the way to the other side, still you had to then charge into a thicket of bayonets, break through those and then start hand-to-hand combat. The survival rate for the average soldier was in the single percentile. Which meant if you survived a few battles, then you were either extremely lucky or you were on borrowed time.

Jaune scrambled quickly out over the safety of the Atlesian trench and saw a few bullets spray the ground around him.

He turned and raised his left arm up in the air. "Come on everyone! Move up!" He yelled at his fellow soldiers, many would answer his call, but few would survive the climb. Seeing some stragglers of the Imperial army still retreating over 'No Man's Land's' Jaune started opening fire and was able to hit a few of the retreating figures. Other Atlesian soldiers also started to open fire, and soon a loose sense of order was made as officers took control of the men around them.

The whistling of incoming shells made every Atlas soldier to try and seek shelter from the wrath that was headed their way.

"Stay low, find some cover and pick your targets!" Jaune was slowly making his was across the battlefield yelling out encouragement to the soldiers around him.

 _'If it's my time to die then there's no point in prolonging the inevitable.'_ If his rallying could keep some of these people motivated and alive then Jaune felt like getting killed by a shell wouldn't be the worst way to go, which is why he was standing and shouting out orders to those around him, nobody was about to stop Jaune being an idiot since he wasn't taking cover. His words alongside some other brave souls lead the charge towards the Imperial trenches. Jaune heard the whistling of rounds screaming past his ears but that was background noise as the screams of the wounded permeated the air.

"You! Grab that soldier and get him back to the aid station!" He yelled at an Atlesian soldier who was taking cover next to the wounded soldier. Scanning the area around him he saw a sergeant and a few privates taking cover in a crater.

"Sergeant get your men in order and move up!" Another yell made its way out Jaune's mouth.

Jaune saw a wounded soldier in front of him and he quickly pulled them behind an embankment to shield them from any further injuries. After patching up the soldier to the best of his abilities, he stood up and continued his way towards the Imperial trenches. An enemy artillery shell landed near him and he felt himself get knocked off his feet when a body slammed into him, both of them tumbled into a crater nearby and after recovering from the blow Jaune saw that it wasn't a body that slammed into him but a part of a mangled corpse. Once again, the bile threatened to spill out of his stomach but Jaune swallowed and forced himself to take a few deep breaths.

"Almost there, almost there, you can do it." Jaune felt like he needed some motivation before he brawled it out with the enemy. _'I'm going to find a nice place and puke to my heart's content when this is all over.'_

"CHARGE!" Jaune looked up to see Imperial soldiers start pouring out of their trenches to meet the Atlesian soldiers head on. _'Fine, that's how you want it, bring it!'_ A modern-day rifle could accurately hit a target hundreds of meters away, but in this instance, soldiers discharged their rifles point blank into each other making the water on the ground turn into a sickly color of red filled with human debris and blood. Jaune fired his rifle's last round at an Imperial soldier a few meters to his left, only to see an enemy officer charge at him from his right. Not having enough time to reload, Jaune raised his rifle and knocked away the officer's sword before using the officer's own momentum to throw him over his shoulder. Jaune spun around and slashed the officer across the throat with Crocea Mors. Grabbing the officer's pistol from his holster, Jaune crouched and fired at another Imperial soldier coming his way. Lining up another shot Jaune pulled the trigger only to hear the hammer click signaling that the pistol was empty.  
 _  
'Who in world goes into battle with one round in their gun!_ ' Having no other option available, Jaune threw the pistol at the enemy soldier stunning them long enough for Jaune to slash them across the chest. Switching the knife in his hands, Jaune threw Crocea Mors at another Imperial soldier that was about to impale a fellow soldier. His victory was short lived as a yell from behind him made Jaune turn only to see the gleaming blade of a bayonet coming his way. Now the will to survive is strong and the human body will sacrifice parts of itself if it ensures its survival. And in this moment, Jaune threw up his left arm to block the incoming blade. He felt a burning pain as the bayonet pierced his left forearm, but that was the least of his concerns at the moment, even though his muscles screamed at him, Jaune moved his arm outwards and was able to redirect the bayonet that would have pierced his chest. Seeing an opening he threw a right hook at the soldier making the man's head snap back from the blow. Jaune moved his right leg forward and was able to trip the Imperial soldier making him fall to the ground. Jaune grabbed the helmet off the top of his head and knelt over the man. 'I'm sorry' He lifted the metal piece before slamming it down onto the man's face, he did this a few times before stopping and saw the bloodied remains of a human face.

Heaving a deep breath Jaune heard the whistle of the Imperial officers telling their forces to retreat. A loud cheer went up among the remaining Atlesian soldiers as they jumped down into the Imperial trenches and pursued the retreating enemy forces. Meanwhile Jaune was laying down on the ground too spent to continue the fight.

An Atlas medic soldier leaned down over his prone figure. "You alright there?" Jaune looked up to see a man with semi long hair that was divided by a streak of faded red. He nodded slowly before groaning as the adrenaline in his body started to wear off and soon all of his wounds started screaming at him to do something. The soldier saw the blood covering the prone man and quickly reached into his bag to pull out a roll of bandages. "You look pretty beaten up." He said in a calm voice. "Here let me help you up so I can treat those wounds." Jaune nodded once again before slowly being sat up by the rather calm man. "Well the good news is that none of your wounds are fatal but you should see the hospital to get a full treatment." Jaune closed his eyes for a brief second before looking at the medic. "What's your name soldier?" The medic helped Jaune to his feet.

"Corporal Lie Ren sir." The young man stated with a professional tone. Now, rising through the ranks wasn't a hard thing considering that many soldiers died every time an attack happened and you needed replacements to fill in the ranks above you that had been filled, but seeing how calm the young man seemed to be in such a hellish nightmare, he either had seen one too many battles and became desensitized, or he had balls of steel.

"Lieutenant Jaune Arc, thanks for the help." Jaune rasped, trying to gather his breath.

Ren shook his head. "Just doing my job sir. Now let's get you back to get properly treated."

Hearing how the sound of gunfire and artillery had all but stopped Jaune let out an exhausted exhale. "Sounds grand."

* * *

 **(Sometime later)**

After making their way back to friendly lines, Jaune soon found his wounds properly treated and was released from the hospital. As he was making his way out the door he paused when remembered something and made his way back to the sign-in sheet. After skimming through a few pages he found the name he was looking for, and set out to find the young boy that had followed him in his last battle. After walking through some hallways, Jaune soon found himself in an older less taken care of wing in the hospital. Looking in to the room that should be housing the occupant he was looking for, Jaune saw Private Taylor laying in a hospital bed. Not wanting to startle the young boy he lightly knocked on the doorway. Hearing a sound coming from the doorway Taylor turned his gaze from the window and saw the Lieutenant that had led him into battle.

"Ah Lieutenant Arc! I'm so glad you're alive, I was afraid you had been killed after we had been separated."

Jaune bowed his head, "I'm sorry for leaving you, I told you I would look after you and I didn't do that."

Taylor raised his arms and shook them quickly. "No, it's fine sir! I was following right behind you but when an artillery shell landed near me I was flung away from you. I saw that you had your hands full with all those Imperial soldiers charging at you, so it's understandable your thoughts were elsewhere."

"Still, that's no excuse for me to leave you behind when I told you I would keep you safe." Jaune then noticed something for the first time, since at the time everyone was wearing helmets he failed to notice the two ears sticking out the top of Taylor's head. _'Huh he's a Faunus, never would have guessed with the helmet on.'_

Now in this world there existed two types of people, Humans and Faunus. Faunus for all intents and purpose were identical to humans except that they had some animal traits separating them from Humans. 'Wait if Faunus have animal like traits does that mean they have night vision too...no wonder why my younger sister could always find me in the dark when we played hide and go seek, good grief it took me years to actual think on this subject, oops.'

While Jaune was the only son of Ichika and Charlotte Arc, he had seven sisters to keep him company when he was growing up. The town he had grown up in was populated by Humans and Faunus alike, so the racism that plagued Faunus most places was not as readily seen in his hometown, as it was the social norm to have Faunus neighbors. In fact, one of his younger siblings was an adopted fox Faunus, and no matter what people said, Jaune loved his little sister fiercely and would not accept any racism towards her on his watch. So, seeing how the human soldiers were housed in the newer wing of the hospital made his blood boil. But going about ranting was not the way to go, later when he got back to his quarters he would write a letter to his superiors letting them know of this unjust treatment.

Taylor's smile slowly fell and was replaced by a confused look as he saw the sergeant looking at him but the serious gaze made him wonder what the Lieutenant was thinking.

"Um sir?" Jaune was snapped out of his thoughts by the private giving him a confused look.

"Oh, sorry about that, I saw your ears and it made me reminisce about my hometown and little sister." Taylor tensed as soon as his heritage was brought to light. Did the man dislike Faunus? Would he be ashamed that he told a Faunus that he would protect him?

Jaune reached into shirt and pulled out his pendant with his family photo and walked over to the young boy to show him his family. "See this is my little sister here, she's a fox Faunus, a little ball of joy...and mischief, but she's still precious to everyone in my family." Taylor noted the pride in Jaune's voice and slightly relaxed. But he had to ask just to be sure.

"Sir what are your thoughts on Faunus?" Jaune's face turned into one of surprise. "What do I think of Faunus? Hmm... Well before I answer that question can you answer me this question, what did you feel when you were fighting?"

Taylor thought for few seconds before answering. "I felt fear, nervousness, pain when I got injured, and then relief when I was found by the medics."

Jaune smiled and nodded. "I see, well then to answer your question, I would have to say I don't care if you're Human or Faunus, besides what you just told me proved something I always thought. No matter if you're human or Faunus the emotions you felt were a person's natural reactions to a stressful environment. At the end of the day were all still people with needs and wants, does that answer your question?"

Any more thoughts of the Lieutenant being a racist was flung right out the window, and Taylor smiled. _'Too bad I couldn't have served underneath someone like him, my sergeant wasn't the nicest person to be around.'_

"So Private what happens now?" Jaune looked down at the bed sheets and noticed something missing.

"Ah well, since I lost my leg to that shell I've been given an honorable discharge from the military, so I guess I'll be heading back to my home town Menagerie." Taylor said with a rather solemn voice.

Jaune reached over and grabbed the boy's shoulder. "Hey, don't be so down about it, you did your job as a soldier, and I'm proud to have served with someone like you."

Taylor looked up at the man beside him and nodded his head. "Thank you, Sir the honor was all mine, I wish you well."

Even though Jaune wanted to continue the conversation he did have other things he needed to attend too. He stood up from Taylor's bedside and bid him a farewell before making his way to the doorway. A sneeze stopped him in his tracks and he turned to see Taylor wipe his nose. A thought sprung into Jaune's mind as he fumbled with one of his pocket's before pulling out the woolen gloves his parents had sent him. He walked back over to Taylor and handed them to him. "Keep warm soldier."

"Ah thank you sir." Taylor slipped the gloves on and felt how warm they were, when he looked up to thank the Lieutenant once more he found the room empty.

"The guy's back in my hometown won't believe this." He said with a smile.

* * *

After taking care of few things Jaune finally found some time to sit down and read the letter his family sent him. After a few moments of smiling and a laugh or two, Jaune finished reading his family's letter and set about writing his own letter to tell his family how he met a young boy and ultimately gave his gloves away to help keep the boy warm. He finished the letter telling them all not to worry about him as he was doing fine on his cozy little trench. Jaune didn't want to worry his family so he only wrote home about the positive things he saw or could think of, to alleviate any unneeded stress that may occur if he wrote about the more gritter parts of his life. When he finished the letter, he looked over contents to make sure things were in order before he sealed it in an envelope and sent it on its long journey home.

 _'Hearing how my family is safe and my hometown is peaceful, makes this war seem a bit more meaningful, I will lay down my life so that my family will not come in harm's way.'_

That night, Jaune Arc fell asleep with a peaceful smile on his face.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed reading the chapter!**


	3. New and Old

**New chapter, more plot, you know the usual.**

 **Edited by DragonManMax**

 **Any and all feedback is welcome!**

 **(Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY)**

* * *

 **The Soldier's Battleground**

 **ザー・ソールジュズ・バタルフィールド**

 **Chapter III: New and Old**

Jaune ducked slightly as an artillery shell landed near where he was sitting, a few other soldiers who were new to the frontline threw themselves onto the ground when the explosion went off. Having been on the frontline for a few months Jaune just raised an eyebrow at the act, if you were going to get hit by a shell then you wouldn't even know what hit you as death claimed its victims swiftly.

A few particles of mud landed in the trench, sprinkling Crocea Mors which he was cleaning, with grime. He grumbled at the nuisance.

"It's not like I enjoy cleaning my equipment because of oncoming traffic, frickin salesmen," Jaune grumbled, his slang was that of a soldier as he referred to the artillery fire.

After cleaning the grime off the blade, Jaune sheathed his knife and moved onto his rifle. But before he could properly clean the weapon a sergeant came up to him and cleared his throat.

"Sir, the new reinforcements have arrived, would you like me to brief them for you or would you rather do it yourself?"

Jaune looked up at the man and sighed. "Give me a moment to clean up and I will meet you there." The sergeant nodded before turning around and making his way down a trench leading to the rear.  
 _  
'Is it too much to ask for some time to myself.'_ For a brief moment, the sound of sporadic gunfire ceased. _'Thank you.'_ Only to be replaced by explosions. Jaune shook his head as he stood up and started to make his way to the rear to rendezvous with the sergeant.

"Sir." A soldier saluted Jaune as he walked up to a group of men and women.

"We don't salute on the frontlines soldier, makes it easier for snipers to identify officers."

"Oh, I'm sorry sir." The young woman said with an apologetic voice.

"You'll catch onto the normal here soon enough." Jaune shook his head at the woman before turning to the rest of the soldiers gathered in the area.

"Welcome to the frontline everyone, I am Lieutenant Arc your commanding officer. Now, I'll be brief and try not to waste your time. Keep your heads down, the only time you should be sticking your head over the trench is when there is an attack incoming or your about to climb up over. Other than that, don't risk getting your head splattered by a random bullet. Besides that, let me ask you all a question: what weapons did you train on other than a rifle?"

He looked around the group before a random soldier raised his hand. "We were trained how to use a rifle, pistol and grenades sir."

Jaune directed the sergeant to grab a weapon that was leaning against the trenches wall. "Well lads you're in luck, we just received a nice shipment of Atlesian Chauchat machine rifles, it's a new machine gun that Command tried to make light enough so that one person could use it." light murmurs made its way through the crowd. _'Eh it's understandable, until recently the machine was a stationary piece of equipment that took a small crew to operate, but still,'_ Jaune smirked. "The truth of the matter is the guns a piece of garbage, and it's not uncommon for this weapon to jam, due to mud and grime getting in the magazine or bolt. So, my advice is to stick with your rifle until they fix this thing or we move out of these lovely trenches." This time the murmurs were a bit different as the words he said sunk in.

"Now, go get some rest, make sure to eat a full meal and at least try to get settled in. With that out of the way, welcome to the 198th Infantry Battalion." With that Jaune nodded at the group and began walking away. _'Now that that's done I should probably follow my own advice and get myself some hot food.'_

* * *

As Jaune was making his way over to the mess hall, a young woman ran by him laughing.

"They're serving pancakes in the mess hall!" She turned around and motioned to a young man who was jogging behind her. _'Wait, hold on, that man looks familiar for some reason. Oh, he's the medic that helped me a few days ago!'_

"Nora! Wait up!" The young man jogged over to the rather energetic young woman. "Why do you call them pancakes anyways? They're called flapjacks."

The young woman raised an eyebrow and scoffed, "Well, I want to call them pancakes so there!" The young medic just sighed with a small smile on his face.

"All right then, we'll call them pancakes. Now let's hurry up before they run out." The young woman threw her hands up into the air with a cheer before running off towards the mess hall. Having watched the rather amusing scene in front of him, Jaune called out to the young man before he got too far away.

"Yes sir?" Ren questioned, his gaze falling onto the blonde-haired Lieutenant a few feet away from him.

"I'm sorry I forgot to ask you when you treated me a few days ago, but what type of medic are you?" Ren pondered the question for a moment before answering.

"Well, there are two categories of medics, one that operates on the frontlines and the other type those of which stay behind in the trenches to treat the casualties that are coming in and bring them back to the hospital. I'm of the former category, a combat medic."

"Wait, if you're a combat medic then why weren't you carrying a weapon when you were treating me?"

Ren pointed towards the young woman who was arguing with a cook. "For one, the battle had already moved on from where I found you. And secondly, I'd trust her with my life." Jaune looked over to the young and saw a grenade launcher slung over her back. _'Well that would ruin anyone's day if they got hit with that.'_ In the distance a distraught Nora came back with few pancakes on a tray.

"Ren! The cooks told me I couldn't take pancakes that they had already made, it wasn't like I was gonna take the entire batch!" With a practiced ease that spoke of experience, Ren ruffled the young woman's hair.

"And how many pancakes did they already have?"

The young woman shrugged. "Not that many, just a few dozen." Jaune internally blanched at the statement. _'She's…she's joking, right?'_

Ren gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I'll go get you some more, wait here."

Seeing her best friend walk away, Nora turned to address the person next to her with a smile on her face. "Hello, sir! I am Corporal Valkyrie, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

Jaune lightly chuckled, _'She reminds me of my younger sisters, extremely energetic.'_ Jaune nodded at the young woman. "Lieutenant Arc, if you don't mind me asking, are you part of a grenadier platoon?" He motioned to the weapon on her back.

She grinned. "Yes sirree! This thing is great at making people duck for cover."

"Seems fitting for what the weapon does in battle, but remember sometimes the best offense is a good defense."

Nora's grin grew even bigger. "That's why I have this!" She pulled out a trench club from the bag hanging at her side. "It's quite effective at breaking knees. And if that doesn't stop the enemy then Corporal Ren will just patch me up." As she was finishing her statement, Ren came back with a stack of pancakes on his tray.

"Here, Nora, you can have some of mine." He placed over half of his pancakes onto Nora's tray.

"Ah thanks Ren!"

 _'If what she said is true, then I'm glad how much trust they put into each other, trust is something that is sorely needed on the battlefield.'_ Jaune stopped his thinking to address the two soldiers in front of him. "It was a pleasure meeting the two of you, but I'm sure you both have things that need to get done, and I need to go get some food before heading out." Jaune bid them both farewell before finishing his journey over to the mess hall.

After making his way through the line Jaune looked around for a place to sit down and saw his Captain a few yards away reading a book and enjoying her meal. As he was making his way over to her she looked up and made eye contact with him. "You mind if I sit here Captain Goodwitch?" She lowered her book and motioned with one of her hands to the spot next to her.

"How are you doing Lieutenant Arc? I heard you took quite the beating the last major battle we had." Jaune casually waved his hand.

"I'm all good, a few scratches won't kick me out of the battle ma'am. How about you? I haven't heard anything about you getting injured but still."

"Not a scratch, I unfortunately was not able to participate in the last battle as Major Ozpin had needed me to organize a few things." Jaune nodded slowly when he heard the major's name. Unlike most majors on the line, Ozpin tried his best to interact with those under his command as he said the first step to victory was teamwork, and if he could impart some wisdom or advice to help that cause, then he would. Jaune had fought alongside the older man a few times in battle, and while there would always be casualties, the major would always try his best to order his soldier in such a way, that would not only help keep casualties down, but complete the mission they were given.

Other than being willing to follow the man anywhere in battle, most of the soldiers under his command had associated the man with coffee as he was never seen without a cup in his hand. If an explosion happened nearby, he would simply put a hand over the top of the cup to keep out any dirt, and once the shelling was over, proceed to remove his hand and take a sip. Overall, he was a solid leader that everyone respected.

"Oh, speaking of which, that reminds me Lieutenant Arc, after reading the report on how you captured three enemy machine guns, the major wanted to reward you in some way. I know it's not much, but please take the day off and get yourself a hot meal in town, you've earned yourself a respite." Jaune shook his head and with a polite smile replied.

"Ma'am I wasn't the only one to capture those gun, and besides I got enough rest when I was in the hospital, so I'm fine."

'If I was someone who was good at reading people's faces then I would say that the captains hardened just a bit.' Goodwitch considered the young man's eyes. "Take the day of Mr. Arc, Major Ozpin insists."'Ah the legendary voluntold statement! They phrase the sentence like they're asking you a question but in reality, are telling you to do it.'

"Very well Captain I'll take the day off, thank you for the offer." The Captain hummed in response before the two of them lapsed into a comfortable silence. The sound of men and equipment filled the air as Jaune tilted his head upwards towards the dreary sky and took in the noises. After a few minutes both he and Goodwitch finished their meals and stood up to put their trays away.

"Lieutenant Arc, the Major also wanted to tell you that there may be something happening in town and wanted you to check it out if you have the time."

"Understood, what am I looking for?"

"He said you would know when you saw it, I was not informed of what it was either."

Jaune shrugged. "Well, I'll keep my eyes open then, Captain." He saluted her.

She saluted him back before walking away, _'Bon voyage mon Capitaine, may whoever you lecture rest in peace.'_ Jaune rolled his right shoulder and cracked his neck. "I'm getting too old for all this excitement."

Jaune quickly made his way back to trenches and walked until he found a muddy tarp hanging over an opening in the side of the trench wall. After pushing aside, the tarp he stepped down into a rather cozy sized underground room. There were a few beds with small trunks located at the end of each of them. On a small desk sat a lamp and a few papers scattered about it.

"Ah I still have to over the new replacements papers." He sighed. "I'll do it when I get back. But first I might as well look the part if I'm heading into town." Jaune stripped off his muddy uniform and boots and grabbed his spares from the trunk at the end of his bed. Inside his trunk was a small locked box that contained a few of his more valuable possessions. One of which was his money. While every country had its own currency, the currency that was most used was called the lien.

Jaune wasn't the richest man in the world, but he made enough to live comfortably, putting aside the whole at war situation he was in.

"You know I probably should go to a weaponsmith and get Crocea Mors sharpened and properly cleaned. I have no idea where the shop is though, I'll have to ask around." Having finished changing and grabbing his family heirloom, Jaune made his way out of his underground room and out into the world above.

As he was making his way through the trenches he saw Corporal Ren organizing some of his medical supplies. He made his over to the young man and cleared his throat.

"Oh, hello sir, can I help you with something?" Ren had a calm but questioning gaze on his face.

"Perhaps, I'm heading into town and I was wondering if you knew where the weapons smith is?" Ren smiled.

"I do actually, Corporal Valkyrie and I went there recently. If you have a map on you I can show you where it is." Jaune nodded before reaching into the satchel by his side and pulled out a map of the town. After a few minutes of explaining, and pointing, Jaune figured out the location of the shop and bid the young man adieu before continuing his journey.

In the early years of the war most towns, cities and villages were evacuated to escape the devastation that was to come from the countless battles. However, two years into the war both sides of the Western Front lost the opportunity of flanking each other. Now, thanks to the force of modern weaponry, such as machine gun and field artillery, it was a suicidal venture to reside on open ground, thus completing the phase of mobile warfare. The soldiers disappeared in the safety of trenches and dugouts. But, it was also thanks to this that many brave souls have traveled back to their hometowns near the frontline. Granted, should any trenches be lost or close to, evacuations plans were in place to protect the people. This meant that Jaune spent a good part of an hour walking from the front before he reached the outskirts of town. In a few more minutes he found himself in front of the weapons smith shop.

"The Melodic Cudgel, a rather odd name for a shop, but whatever." Jaune opened the door, the chiming of bells reaching his ears as he entered the workshop. The inside of the shop was surprisingly homely with a few signs hanging off the top of the walls. "Neapolitan ice cream, I wonder what that tastes like." Jaune look around the interior of the store examining and documenting everything in a way only a soldier could before the sound of old hinges groaning garnered his attention. A rather young looking woman poked her head out of the doorway and made eye contact with Jaune.

"Oh, I guess the shop is open! Great!" She opened the door the rest of the way and stepped inside. She was carrying a rather large cloth gun case in her right hand.

 _'That case must be at least as long as she is tall,damn the hell kind of ordnance is she packing in that thing?'_ Jaune was mildly surprised but no emotion showed on his face. "Hello, my name is Sergeant Ruby Rose, it's a pleasure to meet you," she exclaimed with a chipper voice.

Jaune extended his hand to her. "Lieutenant Jaune Arc, I could say the same to you." The young woman stood near him and shook his hand before starting to rock on the balls of her feet.

Silence reigned over the room and he began to wonder if he should try and start a conversation to fill the silence. The sound of a zipper made him turn his gaze just in time to see the young woman pull out what looked like a rifle of some sort.

"So, I have this thing!" She pulled out a rifle that was almost as tall as she was.

"Is that an anti-material rifle?" The gun looked like one he'd read about some time ago, but having never seen one in real life he wasn't entirely sure.

"Yes, it is! Well it's a bit modified by yours truly, but its purpose is still the same. I call her Crescent Rose." Her voice had taken on an ecstatic tone.

"I read about it once, but I've never seen one until now." Jaune looked at the AMR with a curious face.

Ruby smiled, "So what weapon do you have?"

"I use the standard issue equipment, but I do have a knife that's a family heirloom," Jaune stated pulling out Crocea Mors from his satchel and showed it to the young woman.

"Ah a classic, it's nice to know someone likes to use the classics." She tilted her head as she appraised the rather simple weapon. As Jaune watched the young woman look at the knife he felt a tap on his shoulder. His gaze turned to a young woman who was even shorter than Miss Rose. The young woman motioned to both of the weapons and pointed towards the shop's counter.

"Are you the weapons smith?" The so far quite woman shook her head side to side.

'Is she not able to speak?' Jaune internally shrugged before getting back to the rather one-sided conversation.

"Do you know who the owner of this store is so we can…?"

His question was cut short as a man's voice was heard coming from the back.

"Neo! Where are you? I already told you we don't have enough money to buy ice cream so you better have not gotten any!" A man walked out of the back of the store and paused for a second seeing the three-people standing in the room.

"Oh customers, I'm sorry I didn't hear you come in. The names Roman Torchwick, how can I help you?" The man gestured towards Jaune and Ruby.

"My knife is just in need of some cleaning and sharpening is all." Jaune handed his knife over to the man. Roman grabbed the weapon and looked at the blade with a critical eye before handing it back to Jaune.

"Hmm shouldn't be a problem, I can have it done for you in about an hour or so. What about you Red? What's wrong with your weapon?" Ruby fidgeted under Roman's gaze.

"Actually, I was wondering if you sell maintenance parts for weapons, I just need a few to tune up my weapon."

Roman nodded. "Indeed, we do, Neo please show the young lady to the back for me will you." The short woman nodded before gesturing to Ruby to follow her. The two short females disappeared into the back of the store leaving Jaune and Roman alone.

"So onto business, the repair cost should be around this much." Roman threw out a number and finding it reasonable, Jaune pulled out his wallet and handed the man the correct amount of lien before handing Crocea Mors over. Roman took the weapon and walked to the back only to appear a few moments later with Neo and Ruby right behind him.

"I must admit I'm surprised you carry all of the parts that I needed, it's a nice change of pace!" Ruby was waving one of her hands around while the other one had a bundle of material in it.

"Please, I pride myself in taking care of my customers, if either of you are need of a custom weapon or anything please stop by here and I'm sure I can handle it." Roman finished his sentence with a flourish and tipped the hat that was on his head. Neo did something similar but it was more of a polite bow.

After paying for things she bought, Ruby and Jaune left the store together and found themselves outside. Jaune turned towards the young woman. "You feeling hungry? I'm coming back here in a few hours, so I might as well eat something as I wait."

Ruby smiled politely at him. "I think that's a great idea, but I have to meet up with my older sister, so I'll have to turn down your offer." She offered an apologetic smile. Jaune waved his hand at her reply.

"You're all good, I hope you get Crescent Rose repaired, I'm glad I to have meet you Miss Rose." Ruby and Jaune shook hands before parting ways.

"Well since I have an hour or so I might as well find a place to eat. I think the guys were saying they went to this one restaurant here, I'll have to find it and try it out." Jaune started to whistle a tune as he walked down the street enjoying the sights.

The hustle and bustle of everyday life surrounded Jaune as he made his way through the crowds, after a few minutes of walking, he turned down a side street and soon found himself in a area which was less crowded.

"Hmm if I remember correctly the restaurant should be around this corner and a few blocks down." As Jaune turned the corner a female with a red ponytail caught his eye.

 _'She looks a bit lost, I wonder what she's looking for?'_ Since he was already in her direction he decided he would ask her directly instead of wondering why she looked lost.

"Excuse me miss? You seem a bit lost, if you don't mind me asking, what are you looking for?" The young woman looked at Jaune and he was meet with some very green eyes.

She offered the young man a polite smile. "Oh, no it's fine, I wouldn't want to waste your time."

Jaune returned the smile. "No, it's fine, my mother always told me 'strangers are just friends you haven't meet.' By the way the name's Jaune Arc, a pleasure to meet you." He extended his hand out.

The young woman regarded the young man in front of her. _'He sounds genuine, I'll see what his intentions are._ ' "Pyrrha Nikos. As for what I'm looking for, I was trying to find a restaurant that was supposed to be around here, but I can't seem to find it." As she accepted the handshake she looked directly into his eyes and waited for his reaction.

"Well the only restaurant that I know of around here is actually just a few blocks away, I was just heading there myself, and I can show you the way."

 _'He didn't react to my name in any special way, and he saying he's going to the same place doesn't sound like he just wants to follow me.'_

Pyrrha smile turned genuine, "If you wouldn't mind, please lead the way."

"Follow me then." The two of them traded small talk as they made their way to the restaurant.

* * *

"Wait you're saying you have seven sisters?! That's crazy!" Pyrrha looked at the young man with a surprised face.

"Yes, I know it sounds crazy, but I love them all just the same." Jaune chuckled at her reaction. "Oh, we're here, nice I was starting to get hungry." Jaune walked ahead of Pyrrha and opened the door for her. "Miss Nikos." He gestured to the inside.

"Why thank you, kind sir." Pyrrha gave him a smile.

"Please, thank my mother, anyways let's get some food." Jaune closed the door behind himself and walked behind Pyrrha as she made her way to an empty table. After sitting down a waitress walked up to their table.

"Hello, my name is Rebecca and I will be your waitress for today." Jaune looked at the young girl and noticed she was a wolf Faunus. _'Huh, who knew?'_ Not having anything against Faunus, Jaune's thoughts on the matter ended. His thoughts on what dish to get; however, continued.

"Actually, this is my first time here, so what dish would you recommend?" The waitress pondered on the question for a moment before pointing at a dish on the menu.

"I would recommend Crescent City Fettuccine, it's one of our most popular dishes." Jaune looked at the pasta dish and ordered it immediately.

"What about you miss?" The waitress turned towards Pyrrha.

"I think I'll try the Tournedos of Beef with the Creole Stuffed Potato as a side." The waitress nodded and jotted down both of their orders before walking away to tell the staff hiding away in the kitchen.

"So Pyrrha what brings you to this town? This area is fairly close to the frontlines; most people don't come here because of the danger that is involved."

"I'm here to see how the military is doing and see if there is anything I can do to help."

Jaune curtly gave his response. "Oh, how nice, they do care about the little guys."

Pyrrha just sighed. "I just hope I can be of some help to the troops on the frontlines."

"Well considering the last weapons, we got from Command jammed at almost every convenience, everyone who has been in the war tends to stick to the reliable Springfield rifle as their go to weapon. They did attempt to field a semi-automatic rifle for use a few months back but the slightest amount of dirt makes it inoperable so we don't use those rifles. Perhaps you could do something about that." Jaune asked the young woman with sarcasm laced in voice.

The conversation was discontinued as their food arrived and the both of them spent the next few minutes enjoying their meals. Pyrrha regarded the young man across from her with a curious gaze. He was polite and hearing him talk made it sound like he had a good amount of experience on the battlefield. And seeing no hostility in his eyes when he talked with the Faunus waitress showed that he wasn't a racist, or at least he didn't mind them, which reminded her of a question.

"Excuse me, this may sound rather odd, but what is your town like?"

Jaune paused his eating to answer her. "Um nothing much, really. It's a rather small town located in the countryside, we've got mostly farmlands and the like there, as for the people nothing really comes to mind except that everybody knows everyone else and we try to help each other out as much as we can when someone else is in need."

Pyrrha listened attentively to Jaune as he further explained his home town and if she were being honest, it sounded like a nice place to live she also took notice of the fact that Jaune said neither faunus nor human merely people. Granted if one were to grow up in an environment with little to no regard as to what race you were, then his views and how he treated the faunus waitress made a lot more sense now. Both of them continued to ask questions back and forth and every once in awhile, laugh at something the other person said.

All in all, it was a rather relaxing time, for Jaune he could forget about the horrors of war and just relax, and for Pyrrha she was able to drop her facade that she had to put on for so many people and just be herself. Both would later look back on this moment with fondness.

The happy atmosphere died down when Pyrrha looked at her watch and saw what time it was. "Dang it, I'm so sorry to cut this short, but I need to go, I wish we could talk more as this has been an eventful time."

Jaune smiled. "You don't have to be, it was a wonderful meal that I'm glad I got to share with you. I do hope you have good fortune in your endeavors."

Both paid for their meals with Jaune attempting to pay for Pyrrha's as well, to which she politely declined. Having left the restaurant, they bid each other farewell before parting to head to their respective destinations.

* * *

Jaune looked down at his watch and was pleasantly surprised that a few hours had passed since his visit to Roman's shop. He made his way back to the shop to see if his weapon was ready for pickup

When Jaune opened the shop's door he was greeted by a smirking Neo and a groaning Roman.

"Damnit Neo, I know we just got some revenue from the last customers but why did you go out and spend all that lien on ice cream!"

Neo's smirk just grew bigger and she shrugged at the rather frustrated looking man.

"Of course you'd say that." Roman drawled before pinching his nose and exhaling slowly.

Jaune cleared his throat to alert the two individuals to his presence. When Roman's gaze fell onto the young man he smiled.

"Ah you're back, I assume to pick up your weapon. I was able to clean and sharpen the blade with little difficulty, but I must ask." Roman paused briefly to hand over Crocea Mors to Jaune. "Do you know the person who crafted such a fine piece? The quality of the metal is outstanding to say the least."

Jaune shook his head. "I'm sorry but I don't know the answer to that question. My ancestor received the blade as a gift from someone but that's all I know."

"Not a problem my boy, I was just curious is all." Roman waived his right hand dismissively.

"Thank you for the repair, perhaps I'll stop by again if I need a weapon sharpened." Jaune bid both the two of them goodbye before exiting the shop. After the door closed, Roman's face turned to one of contemplation as he pulled out a small pouch from his pocket and gazed at the contents inside.

Roman examined the metal dust that came from sharpening the unique blade. "Interesting, very interesting."

* * *

As Jaune was coming out of Roman's shop he spotted Major Ozpin and Captain Glynda walking down the street. Ozpin motioned Jaune over and after saluting each other proceeded to walk once again.

"Lieutenant Arc, how has your day gone thus far," Ozpin inquired looking at the young man.

"It has been going very well sir, I was able to get some maintenance on my knife and share a meal with a wonderful young lady."

Ozpin took a sip from his ever-present coffee cup, "I see, well I am glad you were able to relax, but unfortunately we must get back to business. Captain Goodwitch and myself are headed to a showcase that the higher-ups have planned. I wanted to see the weapons my troops may be receiving."

"May be, sir?" Jaune asked politely.

"Well, if the weapons are unable to operate properly in the mud and grime then I won't be rushing to get my soldiers outfitted with them." Jaune understood the logic and nodded his head.

"Ah, looks like we're here." On the outskirts of the town a simple firing range had been set-up with what also looked to be an obstacle course as well.

"Um sir, I understand the firing range, but what's the point of the obstacle course?" Ozpin smirked behind his coffee cup.

"That my boy is why you are here." Ozpin pointed to the scene in front of him. "You are to be competing against her." His finger landed on a rather familiar red head. "Her name is Pyrrha Nikos, a prodigy by all rights, who has decided to use her abilities to help in the war effort by joining up. I must say, I do so hope she knows what she's getting into, as both you and I know how fighting can get."

Jaune's gaze drifted over to the young woman who was talking with another major, probably her superior.

"I'm competing against a prodigy? Just my luck." Jaune sighed, he wasn't sure yet if his day just got worse or not.

Ozpin just took another sip of his coffee and grinned.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it!**


	4. Allies and Forging Bonds

**Greetings everyone, I give too you all the next part in my story.**

 **(Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY)**

 **Please read and review as your thoughts and suggestions are greatly appreciated.**

* * *

 **The Soldier's Battleground**

 **ザー・ソールジュズ・バタルフィールド**

 **Chapter IV: Allies and Forging Bonds**

Jaune's gaze drifted over to the young woman who was talking with another major, probably her superior.

"I'm competing against a prodigy? Just my luck." Jaune sighed, he wasn't sure yet if his day just got worse or not.

Ozpin just took another sip of his coffee and grinned. Finding no support from the older man, Jaune glanced at Goodwitch to see if she had anything to say. Meeting his gaze, Goodwitch gave a small nod to him.

"If what your records say is true, then you should be giving even Miss Nikos a run for her money when it comes to skill." A skeptical face and a raised eyebrow was her response to her statement. "I understand that in the heat of battle showing fancy moves not only is unnecessary but also energy wasting. Still this is a controlled environment, perhaps re-familiarizing yourself is a prudent decision."

' _Uh-huh.'_ Jaune's intelligently thought to himself. Putting aside that being in the military meant that titles were essential. Jaune was never one to judge a person by their title as their character spoke much louder than any title given. Granted some titles were given due to a person's character but seeing first-hand if it was true never failed him.

"Does Command know that I am competing against Miss Nikos?" If Jaune was going to fight then he might as well get some questions out of the way.

Ozpin raised his cup to cover his mouth. "They know a person that I chose would compete against her, but I never gave them a name, I will leave that up to you." He tipped his cup towards Jaune.

"By chance if I get my ass handed to me, is that why you didn't give out my name?"

"Lieutenant, I have full faith in you, but a friendly piece of advice, considering we've been on the frontlines for so long and she hasn't, her move set will more than likely be based off tournament type rules which means the result of losing doesn't involve dying unlike our profession."

' _Tournament rules doesn't involve dying, wish war was like that.'_ Jaune's musings were cut short when the crowd around him quieted down. Looking over he saw Pyrrha walk over to a table with a sheet covering the contents underneath. Pulling off the sheet revealed four weapons laying on the table with ammunition placed beside each of them. Jaune recognized two of the weapons but the other two were unfamiliar. Small murmurs could be heard going through the crowd over what they were seeing.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Today I would like to showcase some of the new weapons that our valiant troops will be using in the coming days." She picked up a rifle every Atlesian soldier was familiar with. "As you all may know this is the Valian Springfield M1903 rifle, a five-round clip fed, bolt-action service repeating rifle. A reliable and solid weapon that has served our military well." She gently placed it back down onto the table.

Grabbing the next weapon which was a revolver from the table she lifted it up so that everyone could see it. "The Atelsian Webley revolver, a six-round cylinder that has also served its role superbly." Once again she placed the weapon back down from where she had picked it up. "After extensive testing done by the Atelsian weapon's designers they have chosen two new weapon's to replace these two incredible pieces."

While Jaune was paying attention to the presentation, having used and fired both of the weapons she was talking about, nothing she said was new to his ears. But now that she was moving on to the new weapons his curiosity was piqued.

"May I present to you all the Schnee Enfield rifle, a ten-round magazine fed, bolt-action repeating rifle, created by the Schnee Dust Company it has a redesigned bolt system that enables a smoother and much faster fire rate than any bolt-action rifle currently in production. The added bonus of having to reload less often due to the larger magazine size will make one less thing our soldiers need to worry about during battle."

' _A faster firing rifle will be a much needed upgrade to our arsenal, then again a lighter machine gun would also be nice, but you can't get everything.'_ So far from what Jaune was hearing he was rather impressed with the new rifle design, now whether or not it could withstand the rigors of combat has yet to be decided. And judging from the poker face coffee sipping Major, Jaune had no idea if their battalion would even be getting these rifles anytime soon.

"I would like to show how fast this rifle can be fired but first I also need to show you the pistol that is going to replace the Webley." Pyrrha placed the Enfield back down onto the table before grabbing the last remaining weapon on the table.

"This is the Valian M1911, it is a double-action, semi-automatic, seven-round magazine fed, recoil-operated pistol. With the Webley revolver one had to reload each bullet one at a time, not only time consuming but dangerous for the soldier involved as it left them vulnerable. Replacing the revolver with this magazine fed pistol not only cuts down on reload time, but is the next step in sidearm history. Thank you all for listening." A small round of applause made its way through the crowd as Pyrrha finished her presentation.

"Still rather than listening to my explanations, showing you all how well these new weapon's work on this firing range is a better way of proving how effective these weapon's will be." Pyrrha grabbed a few pistol magazines from the table and loaded one into the M1911. The other she stuck into her pocket.

Pyrrha walked the short distance towards the firing range and announced with a clear voice. "I will be shooting at targets roughly fifty feet in front of me." She grabbed onto the pistol with both of her hands and leaned slightly forward with her feet about shoulder width apart. Taking a calming breath she focused on the target in front of her. She squeezed the trigger.

Her aim was true and the bullet hit the target dead center, not wasting any time she continued to line up the targets in the pistol's sight before pulling the trigger. After the seventh round was fired she quickly hit the release button and ejected the empty magazine before reaching into her pocket and pulling out the fresh magazine which she inserted into the pistol handle. She hit the slide release before resuming her firing.

Jaune was rather impressed by how well she was hitting her targets, but when one added the element of pressure, the sounds of battle, and the many other factors involved in combat perhaps she wouldn't be doing as good as she doing. Also, the stance she was in was the one soldiers were taught in boot camp, but no soldier wanted to stand still in the open if they could help it so through trial and error, learning to accurately fire will moving was a skill many soldiers learned.

While most officers carried revolvers as their sidearms, Jaune found himself wielding Crocea Mors more often than not as the knife never needed to be reloaded, but seeing how quick one could reload this new pistol he contemplated if he wanted to carry one or not.

"And that ladies and gentleman is the M1911. As you can see the pistol is very accurate and was able to hit all the targets, with the magazine feature I was able to reload in a matter of seconds before resuming my firing." She walked back to the table where all the other weapons were and set down the pistol before grabbing the Enfield rifle.

"Now while I would love to show you how fast this weapon shoots, is there anyone who would like to try this weapon out first?" Her gaze swept through the crowd until it stopped on a rather familiar blonde man. "Excuse me but would you like to try this weapon?" She sent a polite smile towards Jaune.

' _Please don't tell me Ozpin sent me to town so that I would bump into her, then again seeing a familiar face is usually a bit reassuring on the mind.'_ Jaune returned her smile before quickly making his way over to where she was standing.

"Miss Nikos I didn't expect to talk to you again so soon, but it is a pleasant surprise. When you said you were here to help I didn't think it would be new weapons."

Her facial features slightly relaxed and her smile became a bit more genuine. "I could say the same to you Lieutenant Arc, but enough chit chat let's see how well you hit the targets." Her smile turned into a smirk. Jaune just raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, well as I explained this is the Schnee Enfield rifle, as you can see the magazine has been extended to accommodate five more rounds. You will also notice how much smoother the bolt operates as well." Pyrrha's professional voice came out as she explained the weapon to Jaune. "Here is the safety and the sights are also new so this is how you adjust them." As she pointed towards different spots on the weapon, Jaune just nodded at the appropriate parts.

"Okay then let's see how you do, the targets you will be shooting at is about 100 meters away." Her voice then dropped to a whisper. "We chose glass bottles so we see when you miss."

' _Nice…'_ Jaune sarcastically thought before grabbing ammo for the rifle. He only loaded one five-round clip into the magazine before walking over to the firing range.

"Um Lieutenant I did say ten rounds didn't I?" Pyrrha sent him a questioning look.

"I just want to get a feeling for this rifle first is all, don't worry." He gave her a lopsided grin before schooling his features.

"Alright let's see how this weapon works." Jaune pulled the bolt back before shoving it forward chambering a round into the barrel. He looked down the sights and saw the distant bottle in his sights. He pulled the trigger and felt the kick of the rifle against his shoulder as a resounding crack pierced the cold air. A splinter of wood was seen flying off the fence that the bottles were sitting on. Jaune lowered the rifle and stared at the spot where the bullet hit, he nodded his head before raising the rifle stock to his shoulder once again. He once again aimed at the same bottle he was previously aiming at. Right as the trigger was pulled he slightly flinched making the rifle jerk to the side making him miss the bottle completely and hitting the fence once again.

"Sir why is the Lieutenant missing? I thought you said he was better than this?" Glynda leaned over and spoke in a hushed voice to the Major. Ozpin just took a sip of his coffee. "Be patient and you'll see what he's doing." Having worked with the Major for quite some time she just focused her gaze back onto the Lieutenant.

Another bullet flying pierced the air and a bottle was shattered when it was hit. Jaune ejected the spent round from the rifle and loaded another round into the chamber. In quick succession the last two rounds from the magazine was fired and two more bottles were destroyed. A few claps were heard from the crowd but the general reaction was lackluster due to his performance.

"When I said you would miss I was joking about that." Pyrrha gave Jaune a confused look. He just smiled in reply before loading in another five-round clip.

Jaune closed his eyes and exhaled before opening them. "Alright I've got the feeling of this." He said with a small whisper. Raising the rifle to his shoulder he started walking forward at a steady pace. A round left the barrel and made quick work of a distant bottle. Without lowering the rifle from his shoulder, he reloaded his rifle quickly and fired off another round destroying another bottle. He jerked the rifle right and fired off a bullet. Pieces of glass flew into the air as the round shattered the bottle. He had two rounds left and he quickly gazed to see if there was anything else he could hit.

In the distant was some farmland and what looked to be a scarecrow with some birds on its arms caught his attention. He aimed at the scarecrows head and pulled the trigger. A scarecrow was soon short some hay as a round ripped through its head. The result was enough to startle the birds perching on its shoulders and they all started to fly into the air to escape the unknown danger. Jaune zeroed in on one bird and the last round from the rifle spewed from the barrel and sped quickly towards its prey. A puff of feathers showed that the bullet hit its mark and Jaune lowered the rifle from his shoulder. During the entire time he was firing he never stopped walking and found himself a good distance away from the crowd. He jogged his way back to where Pyrrha was standing and handed the rifle back to her.

"The rifle handles quite well, it does fell pretty solid and the accuracy is nice." He spoke with a curt tone towards Pyrrha who had an impressed look on her face.

"Not bad Lieutenant, I think if we were in the same class I would be worried about my competition." Jaune just waved his hand in front of him. "You said you learned your skills for competing in tournaments right?" Pyrrha just nodded to his statement.

"I see, well then how about we put that to the test." Jaune muttered before throwing a right jab towards Pyrrha's face. Pyrrha instinctually leaned back to avoid the hit only to quickly duck when Jaune's left arm swung towards her gut. She looked to see a calm looking Jaune step back and relax into a loose fighting stance.

"Let's see how good you are." He stated. Pyrrha smirked before charging at Jaune.

* * *

The sound coming from the crowd died down once they saw the two young adults sparring. For the people who knew how well Pyrrha Nikos was trained, they thought the young man trading blows with her was either really foolish or really brave. Out of all those individual's only one person just sipped their coffee and waited to see if his hunch was correct.

"I found out that before this war started, Lieutenant Arc was a bit of a prodigy in his hometown and if wasn't for this war, he would have had a promising career ahead of him."

"You're talking about the Arc's family heirloom and legacy correct?" Glynda responded to Ozpin's statement.

"Every single war that Remnant has been a part of, an Arc was at the forefront of the battle, known for their unwavering resolve and courage, every time an Arc fought in the conflict, they would always earn some sort of medal for their valor. They also seem to be in the right place at the right time to the point of it being uncanny."

Glynda adjusted her glasses before answering. "While their name is known among the higher ups, the knowledge of the Arc's and their lineage is rather unknown amongst the lower ranks. I believe the Arc name is a blessing and curse to those born into it. While they have saved many people with their bravery, the same could be said of how many Arc's died due to that heroism."

Ozpin's face gave away no emotion, but one could almost see the gears in his head turning, what he was thinking was unknown to Glynda so she just focused on the spar in front her.

To the surprise of the crowd the lieutenant was actually holding his own against the Mistral champion. Granted all he seemed to be doing was going on the defense, but the fact that he wasn't already unconscious was a shock to the crowd.

Jaune's thoughts on the matter were a bit limited as he focused on defending his body against the young woman in front of him. Even though his defense was solid, it looked like he was slowly losing the fight. He threw a quick punch right before he brought his left leg up in a roundhouse kick in an attempt to knock out his opponent. Unsurprisingly, said opponent was able to block his move and counter it by trying to sweep his legs out from underneath him. Taking a quick step back meant that only one of his legs was kicked out from underneath his body. It was still enough to make him fall to his knees from the sudden shift in balance. Not wanting to be left open while he was down, Jaune rolled his body backwards and hastily stood back up just in time to block a boot coming towards his face.

 _'Challenging a champion in a fist fight hasn't been one of my brighter ideas in life, but that doesn't mean I can't win against her, I've faced harder opponents than her before.'_ Jaune internally smiled, as a plan started to form in his head.

Now to the people in his hometown who knew him, they knew the young man almost always had a plan and a trick up his sleeve. So either the person he was fighting was extremely competent or he was losing ground on purpose.

The latter became evident when he executed his plan into motion. Pyrrha threw a quick jab towards his face and he reacted in a blink of an eye. He reached up and quickly grabbed her arm before thrusting his other hand out and striking her hard in the throat making her reel and gag from the hit. Not quite finished he let go of her arm and with both hands slammed her head against his knee. With a flurry of motion Pyrrha found herself sprawled out on the ground with the gleaming blade of Crocea Mors against her throat.

"Yield." The single word made Pyrrha look into the face of a calm but serious Jaune.

"I yield." When she admitted her lose, the blade left her throat and the calm face of her opponent broke out into a small smile. A hand was offered to help her up, one which she took and was quickly pulled up onto her feet. A handkerchief was also offered to her to help stem the flow of blood that was leaking from her nose.

"An impressive show of skill Miss Nikos, I must admit for a while there I was worried I was going to lose." Pyrrha smiled at the compliment as she felt her hand being let go by the young man. She continued to hold the small piece of cloth to her bruised but fortunately not broken nose.

"Your hand to hand is also quite impressive Lieutenant, were did you learn your skills?"

"As I asked earlier, you said you learned your skills for competing, and while my training is also based in that, I had to adapt once I joined the war, as making a mistake on the battlefield could have cost me my life." He shrugged as if it was no big deal.

Pyrrha listened to the young man talking and couldn't help but wonder how pain and suffering he had went through in this ghastly war. Still he did say he trained before the war, who was his teacher? Her thoughts were interrupted when a big round of applause came from the crowd as everyone acknowledged Jaune's marksmanship and skill, both of them waved at the crowd before returning back to their conversation.

"Sounds like life is hard for you." Pyrrha said with a sympathetic tone.

"I mean when we talked in the restaurant you heard how life is kind of like in the trenches. It's not all sunshine and picnics there let me tell you."

As Pyrrha and Jaune were talking, the chatter amongst the crowd grew as the presentation made many a person excited, some for the performance shown today, while others because these new weapons could help in winning the war, since the war had stalemated and both sides took and lost trenches, overall no progress had been made. Granted a new weapon is only as good as the user who wields it. So even though the rifle and pistol may be better than their previous models that wouldn't be enough to win a war.

Jaune and Pyrrha exchanged a few more words before Jaune bid her a warm goodbye and started to turn when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see a concerned look on Pyrrha's face.

"Be safe Lieutenant Arc." She gave him a warm smile.

"You as well Miss Nikos, hopefully we'll meet again under more pleasant circumstances." He shook her hand before making his waked over to the Major and the Captain.

"Major Ozpin, are we going to be receiving these new weapons soon?" Jaune asked as if he winning against a champion never happened.

Ozpin smiled briefly before his gaze turned serious. "Lieutenant Arc, after seeing your performance today, I have a mission that needs to be executed and I believe you are the man for the job. Since this is not the place for such a talk, I want you to join me in my quarters when we get back to the trenches."

"Understood sir." Jaune replied curtly.

As the two males were talking, Pyrrha's mind was currently occupied with the young man and the skills he possessed. _'When we first started fighting it seemed as if he was holding back, and even after betting me I feel as if he wasn't fully going out. Who are you exactly are you Jaune Arc?'_

Another female in the crowd was thinking something similar after seeing the lieutenant's performance. Not just anybody could have beaten the Mistral champion even by mistake, and the way he handled himself showed that he knew how to defend himself.

Winter Schnee was on a mission. She was to scout for potential recruits that could possibly be enlisted into the Atelsian Specialists Forces. A new type of branch that would only have the best and brightest fill its ranks, and Pyrrha Nikos was a prime candidate, but after seeing a unknown young man not only stand his ground against the champion but then proceed to beat her, piqued Winter's interest. She had come to scout out one candidate but fate seemed to give her two of them instead. A small smile appeared on her face as she disappeared into the crowd.

* * *

A few hours after Jaune had come back from his journey into town. He found himself inside a small but quaint house that served as a temporary command post.

' _Major Ozpin said he wanted me for a mission, I hope it's nothing to crazy.'_ The room he currently was standing in was deathly silent as he was the sole occupant in the room. That quickly changed when the Major walked in through the door followed closely by the Captain and am older looking man. Jaune snapped to attention briefly before Ozpin gestured to him to relax.

"Lieutenant Arc I am need of a competent soldier to carry out a highly important mission. Since part of this briefing is classified I trust you won't be discussing it with your men?" Jaune nodded as the reasoning was sound. Even if he didn't like the mission, he wasn't about to talk about the details to people who didn't need to know.

"Splendid, I am in need of someone to lead a group of resistance members to secure an objective that could help progress and break the stalemate we are currently in. This man will tell you the rest of the details." Ozpin leveled a serious gaze at Jaune. "You don't have a problem with that do you?"

"I personally have no problem working alongside the resistance, but why did you mention them? That would mean this mission is behind enemy lines. Correct?"

Ozpin smirked briefly before nodding his head.

"Excellent observation. But putting that aside, may I introduce you to Mr. Tukson, if it were not for him then this plan would have not even be put into motion."

"A pleasure to meet you sir." Jaune shook hands with the older gentleman.

"I could say the same, thank you for agreeing to help, now as the Major was saying, the resistance want's to secure an objective, that objective in question is this place right here." Tukson pointed at place on a map that was on the wall. Jaune's eyes widened by a fraction at the place he was pointing at.

"Sir that's a river that connects to the Forever Fall's, I believe that is also were enemy reinforcements come through."

"Precisely, which is why we need to take it out. The Atelsian lines are here and the enemy trench lines are located here, now one of the reason's we haven't been able to push through is that they have been receiving reinforcements across this bridge here." Tukson pointed at a thin line that symbolized a bridge across the river.

"If we take out this bridge and we press the attack onto the enemy trenches, not only will they have no place to run but reinforcements won't be able to help them out either."

"But sir there are other bridges that cross the river. Will we be capturing those as well?" Jaune's question was answered by Ozpin.

"Eventually yes, but as you can see the river bends so that the closest bridge to us is the one you will be securing, once the bridge is destroyed we will mobilize our forces and create a spearhead that will create a crack in the enemies lines and we will then expand to or left and right and secure our flanks, if all goes according to plan. Then the enemy will be pushed back across the river and we will have gained new ground."

While the plan was very ambitious, Jaune could already see some flaws, if they were successful in destroying the bridge, then the Atelsian forces would have to push and break through the enemy lines. If the flanks were not properly manned and supplied and the enemy decided to do a pincer move, then the chance of getting isolated and cut off from friendly lines was there and blowing the bridge would amount to nothing. The only result if the mission failed would be many dead soldiers. Still if the plan worked then a vast amount of enemy territory would be taken, the higher ups must of thought the risks were worth it or he wouldn't be getting a briefing about it.

"Sir permission to speak?" Jaune wanted to clear another thing up with Ozpin.

"Granted."

"This objective is behind enemy lines, if I am to cross the enemy lines, how am I going to be able to sneak past the enemy trenches?" Ozpin smiled before gesturing towards Tukson.

"Under the cover of darkness, you and Mr. Tukson will be the only two to be sneaking through the enemy lines, to ensure that you will sneak by undetected, an artillery strike will be fired into the enemy trenches at a single point before spreading outwards which will force the enemy to create a gap which is where you will cross. Some resistance members will be meeting you at a rendezvous point. I must warn you though, we are planning to attack the Imperial lines tomorrow morning regardless if the bridge is destroyed, having less enemy soldiers will be more than helpful, but we need to push the enemy back if we are to regain our lost territory and push the enemy back from whence they came."

"Sir will I need to be bringing explosives to destroy the bridge?" Carrying explosives would not only weigh him down, but also make it harder for him to sneak behind enemy lines as well.

Tukson was the one who decided to answer his question instead of Ozpin. "No you won't have too, my group has been able to secure enough explosives to properly destroy the bridge and then some."

 _'Well that's a weight off my shoulders, oh god, my older sister is rubbing off on me!'_

Some minor details were discussed between the three of them before Jaune was released to start preparing for the rather dangerous mission ahead of him.

As he was walking out of them briefing room, Ozpin called out to him.

"Lieutenant Arc. By the front door you will find a crate with some of the equipment you will be taking along in this mission. Do check it out before you leave."

"Yes sir." Jaune found the crate he was told about and opened it up to see that the new Lee Enfield rifle and new pistol were inside, as well as some medical equipment. He quickly grabbed everything from the crate before making his way back towards his quarters in the Atelsian trenches.

* * *

The cover of darkness covered the land and soon enough the sound of rolling thunder pierced the air, at times like this, soldiers on both sides would try their best to keep warm in the ensuing wetness. But for one young man this night was one that could go very wrong and end up with himself being killed or captured by the enemy. Still dwelling on the matter wasn't going to help any, even though a distraction is just that, a distraction. Having your mind occupied with something else can help ease a person's mind. Which is why Jaune found himself taking apart and cleaning his new equipment.

"So since were in this together, do you mind telling me a bit about yourself Mr. Tukson?" Jaune glanced at the other person in his underground room.

"A bit about myself you say? Well before this whole war broke out, I was a book store owner, I would like to think I had on stock a bit of everything, and if I didn't I would try my best to secure it for my customers." Tukson's face took on one of nostalgia. "There was one person in particular who was in my store all the time. Honestly before I had to close the store I think they must have read every single book in there."

Jaune put down a rag to swap it for another before replying. "Sounds like an interesting person. So what made you join the resistance? Selling books and killing is very different."

"Well to be honest. Have you ever heard of the White Fang?" Tukson's voice took on a serious tone.

"The White Fang? Depends on which one you are talking about. The White Fang was originally a group of individuals who wanted to abolish the law that Faunus couldn't enlist, by having protests and the like, but after sometime when their demands were not listened to they decided to become something like that of a militia. After securing a few victories the view of the White Fang was changed from a peaceful protesting group to that of a rather violent uprising." A thought crossed Jaune's mind and a question popped up in his head. But before he could ask Tukson spoke up.

"Yes you are correct, I was a part of the White Fang at one point, but I left it when they started to get violent. I have no problem waving a sign but waving a weapon is something entirely different."

"But why are you in the resistance then? If you don't want to fight then that choice doesn't make sense."

"While that is true, when the war came to my town, I had to close shop and leave but I was not able to get away in time, so when the resistance started to increase I wanted to do my part, and so I've been fighting, even though I originally didn't want to, life doesn't always go your way." Tukson shook his head before looking over and smiling and Jaune.

"But enough about me, what's your story lad?" Jaune leaned back in the chair he was sitting on and looked up at the dirt ceiling.

"Well to be honest, my story is rather boring, I grew up in a loving household with seven sisters and a loving mother and father. My father served in the military before I was born, but hearing his stories inspired me to become a hero like him when I grew up. So for most of my life growing up I was taught in hand to hand and I learned how to handle a weapon quite proficiently. So when the war started I was raring to go and serve my country with pride. But my parents didn't think it was wise of me to go rushing into war. I disagreed with them and I left them to enlist." Jaune let out a humorless laugh before lowering his head and looking towards Tukson.

"I learned really quickly that being a hero was not that it was cracked up to be. When I participated in my first battle I was so scared, I froze and almost got my men killed. That's when it dawned on me that while I couldn't be a hero. I could at least get my men out of the war alive. You know what's funny is I was just a boy when I left my home, and yet I feel so old right now. Sometimes, I think back to my old life and I know that after this war ends and I go home. My life will never be what it was. Everyone I know will have moved on in their life and I will have to catch up to them, but with the things I've witnessed and done, unless you've been there you wouldn't understand."

Tukson studied the young man in front of him and saw a boy who had been forced to grow up to fast and assume an immense responsibility. Knowing that one's decisions could make a man live or die was something no should be put through. He saw the lad pull out something from his shirt and realized it was a pendant, it was either a picture of a sweetheart back home or perhaps his family. Having a single piece of home could do so much for one's mental state, especially if you were a soldier living in this hell.

Jaune put his pendant back from where he had gotten it and looked down at his watch.

"Well it's time to face the music." He quickly got his equipment in order and looked over to see Tukson doing the same. When he lifted the flap that served as his door he saw that it was raining outside.

' _Nice this weather should help mask our movements.'_ Jaune made his way down a trench and he soon found himself looking through a periscope surveying the stretch of mud and grime. A whistling sound coming from overhead made him look up for a moment before he returned his gaze back through the lens to see explosions throwing pieces of earth into the air. He looked over towards Tukson and nodded at the older man.

"Let's go." Jaune started to climb a ladder that had been placed against the trench wall and soon found himself in the wasteland that separated the two sides. Keeping their bodies low, both of the men followed at a safe distance behind the artillery rounds clearing a path ahead of them. If they got to close to the falling rounds, then the chance of shrapnel hitting them was there. After a few tense moments the enemy trenches were in Jaune's sight and he saw were they were supposed to cross. Now all they had to do was wait for the artillery to clear a narrow path for them to slip through.

"When the artillery separates were going to make a break for it, stay right on my ass."

Jaune watched as the explosions started to widen and he knew it was now or never. He stood up and started to run ahead. The first danger they could run into was that the artillery was not on point and that he was running into a trench that was not cleared of enemy soldiers. But the time for hesitation had passed and when the enemy trench was a few inches in front of him he vaulted over the gap and continued to sprint behind enemy lines. So far no one had shot at him, or he just hadn't been hit yet.

Even though it had been about twenty minutes since he had first stepped out of the safety of his trench, adrenaline continued pumping through his veins and he soon found himself a good distance behind enemy territory. Jaune slowed his pacing down and took a glance behind to see Tukson had stayed right behind him.

 _'The man's got a decent amount of stamina to keep pace with me for this long, not bad at all.'_ While Jaune didn't consider himself the most athletic person in the world, he knew that he was no pushover when it came to endurance and stamina. Being trained in the art of fighting since early childhood was probably a defining factor in that regard.

"That went surprisingly well, now it's my turn to lead, follow me." Tukson jogged ahead of Jaune and soon the two of them found themselves near an abandoned building. Since the artillery had ceased firing the silence of night had once again settled over the land and Jaune found the quite unsettling.

"Is it too far of an assumption that were being watched right now?" Jaune saw that the building had a great view of the surrounding area and no doubt their approach had been noted. Considering that they hadn't been shot at meant that the people inside were hopefully the resistance members.

"No your right, now stick close." Tukson lead them both towards the left side of the house. A wooden door was located there and Tukson rapped his knuckles against the door.

A muffled voice was heard after a few moments. "Who is it?"

"Monty Oum said it was nice night for a stroll so we came here." Tukson replied to the person on the other side.

The sound of a lock being undone could be heard before the door creaked open to reveal a young woman.

"Come on in." She stepped aside to make room for the two men and promptly closed the door behind them once they were inside.

Jaune took in her appearance and saw that she had black hair that looked a bit unkempt. A black bow sat atop her head and he swore that it twitched for moment. His gaze then locked onto her face and he saw yellow eyes that stared right back at him.

"Welcome to our humbly abode, thank you for helping us in this mission. My name is Blake Belladonna. And you are?" She extended her right hand.

"Lieutenant Jaune Arc of the 198th Atelsian Infantry Division." He reached out and grabbed her hand with his own.

The two of them shared a handshake.

* * *

 **And the only thing that is needed to start a beautiful friendship could be something as simple as a handshake...**


	5. Into the Night

**Sorry for the wait, here is the next chapter in this exciting and heart throbbing series...just kidding.**

 **(Zero) I was pondering a later scene in the book and I think I will be able to grant your request as it lore friendly (sort of) adds your regiment into the plot. Hopefully at least, if you want to know more send me a PM or something.**

 **Disclaimer: I really don't own RWBY.**

 **Anyways as always please read and review!**

* * *

 **The Soldier's Battleground**

 **ザー・ソールジュズ・バタルフィールド**

 **Chapter V: Into the Night**

Jaune looked around the rather cozy home that he currently was standing in. Nothing about the building showed that it had been touched by the war raging outside. Well that wasn't entirely true, some people were milling about with various states of clothing and equipment on them or lying near them.

The fact that these men and women would be the ones to carry out the dangerous mission spoke of their courage, if he were to be completely honest with himself, having actual soldiers to execute the mission would have been preferable. But considering he had never fought with these people before, perhaps they had some fighting experience. Giving them the benefit of a doubt was something he could do. That, and it was better to think this than the other option, which was going into a dangerous battle with rookie soldiers.

A conversation to his left drew his attention to the young woman that had greeted Tukson and himself when they entered the house. He took in the appearance of the young woman, her outfit consisted of a creamy off-white shallow v-neck blouse with what looked to be long sleeves, but that was hard to tell as it was covered up by a light grey tweed jacket, a charcoal scarf was also wrapped around her neck. On her legs she was wearing dark grey slacks that had a vertical black stripe on the outer side of each leg, and covering her feet were black riding boots.

The equipment that she was carrying consisted of a sheath of sorts that hung from her back with a strap that went from her right shoulder to the left side of her waist. A black leather holster was strapped to her right thigh with ammo pouches for the weapon on her opposite thigh. A knife holster was tightly strapped to her left boot. But besides all that, something did catch his eye, was a dull grey half-face mask that sat atop her head.

Jaune recognized the face mask as an experimental type of armor that some soldiers used to protect their eyes from debris. The masks usefulness were very limited, so the majority of soldiers decided not to wear them as it was just an unneeded weight that they didn't want to carry. Why she decided to wear one was beyond him, but if he had to take a guess, if she put the mask over her eyes and pulled the scarf up to her nose, then no one would be able to identify her appearance if she was seen. But if that wasn't the reason then he would just have to ask her sometime.

As Jaune was observing Blake, she was talking with another fellow fighter, from the corner of her vision she saw that the Atelsian Lieutenant was studying her. A few seconds later his gaze shifted towards another resistance fighter, and after studying them for a few moments his gaze moved onto the next person. She decided to copy what he was doing and started to take in the appearance of his uniform and equipment. He wore the standard equipment of the Atelsian military soldier. A brown coat and pants that looked like they had seen better days was covered in light speckles of mud and dirt. Leather combat boots where being worn on his feet and strips of cloth where wrapped from his ankles all the way up to his knees. A harness known as a webbing, held a good amount of ammunition pouches. A brodie helmet that was on his head when he first came in was now hanging off of his belt. Slung across his back was a rifle that she had never seen before, but then again it had been a good while since she had seen an Atelsian soldier, they had probably gotten new equipment and the rifle was one of those.

Overall nothing really stood out to her about his appearance or equipment, but in her line of work, looks could be deceiving. The resistance group she was a part of had sent Tukson to locate, find, and convince allied forces to send soldiers that could help them with destroying the bridge. To the disappointment of some, only a single soldier had been brought back by Tukson. That either meant nobody believed Tukson and had sent a random soldier, or this young man was worth a group of soldiers. Hopefully the later was the case, as they needed all the help they could get in the upcoming battle.

Still, past experiences had made her trust in strangers quite fragile at best. Not to say she didn't trust anyone, but the world was a cruel and unfair place. This made for her to have a skeptical and a somewhat introverted personality. But then again, what she lacked in her social life, she made up for it in reading. Whenever she had the time, she found herself immersing herself in any book that she was able to find. Books never betrayed you or let you down, unlike a certain someone she had previously served under.

Blake was pulled out of her thoughts when the Lieutenant cleared his throat. Along with everyone else in the room she focused her attention on him to see what he wanted to say.

"Well you all know what you are doing here. I was sent by my commanding officer to help you destroy a bridge. With that, does anyone have a layout of the area around the bridge, I want to see what type of defenses were going up against." His thoughts drifted towards a certain female he had meet previously.

 _'You know maybe Major Ozpin should have sent Corporal Valkyrie instead, the girl with a pension for pancakes and explosives, then again, maybe she doesn't have the subtlety needed if we need to stealth this mission.'_ Jaune saw another blonde young man raise his hand into the air.

Blake looked at the other blonde as well and nodded her head. The young man grinned before stepping forward and pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket. Scratch that, he had pulled out what looked like a banana momentarily, before sheepishly putting the fruit back into a pocket.. He reached into another pocket and pulled out an actual piece of folded up paper.

While her facial expression remained stoic, Blake was sighing internally at the act her comrade had just pulled. She stole a glance at the Lieutenant to see what his reaction was, but all she saw was the young man extend a hand to the other blonde.

"What's your name lad?" The other blonde male smiled as he grasped the outstretched hand.

"Sun Wukong, a pleasure buddy!" A firm handshake was made before they dropped their grasp on each other's hands.

The Lieutenant unfolded the paper and laid it out on a table nearby. "Alright, what are we looking at for the enemy presence?" Sun leaned on the table and pointed at a spot on the paper.

"Well I wasn't able to get a really good look as I didn't want to be seen. But I went out a few nights ago and was able to locate two guard posts near the entrance on both sides of the bridge. Other than that, there are guards that regularly patrol the river banks, so getting to the bridge will be a bit of a challenge no matter how you look at it." Sun pointed towards various points on the map as he was talking. Jaune followed along and took in everything he was being told by the resistance fighter.

"We thought we could do a frontal assault, but we don't have the men or equipment to pull that off. Besides, if we executed that plan, we would be dealing with enemy soldiers defending the bridge. And let's not forget those who are on the other side of the river."

Jaune's face took on a thoughtful look as he surveyed what they were up against. Having a bridge that crossed a river was indeed a valuable asset, but then again, a destroyed bridge was also valuable asset depending on the person. Seeing how the lines on both sides hadn't moved in months, and the chances of a bridge behind friendly lines being blown up was nil, perhaps the enemy presence wouldn't be as large as it could be. Hopefully that was the case as dealing with a large amount of enemy forces could and would overwhelm this resistance group.

"What are the patterns the guards follow as the patrol the riverbank?" A bit surprisingly Blake decided to insert herself into the conversation. "They patrol in two's along this route here and here."

Jaune noted the route's and narrowed his eyes. "How long is their shifts?" Sun spoke up this time. "As far as we can tell, they change the guard every six hours or so. The first shift starts at midnight and change's around six in the morning, the next is at noon and so on."

Jaune looked down at the watch on his wrist for a second before looking up and addressing everyone in the room. "The sun doesn't rise until around seven in the morning this time of the year. When the guards change shifts in the morning that is when we will strike. That will give us a small window of darkness to plant the explosives underneath the bridge before first light hits. And since the shift just changed, they won't be suspicious when we take out the guards."

His gaze swept the room as he talked. "I need some volunteers to help with planting the explosives. Also we need people in place to deal with the guards if need be." After a few moments of silence and no one raising their hands, Sun slowly raised his hand in the air. With a few more hands following shortly afterwards.

Tukson and Blake raised their hands as well. "We'll deal with the guards and watching your guys back." He gestured between himself and Blake who nodded her head.

"The Atelsian forces will be attacking tomorrow right after dawn. We'll plant the explosive later tonight and wait for the attack to happen in the morning. Once our forces break through the Empiric lines, reinforcements will no doubt be called up from the rear. We'll blow the bridge when the enemy is crossing. The frontal assault as well as a bridge blowing up in their faces will cause chaos in the enemy ranks. We can use that distraction to fall back and let the Atelsian military do their work." A few more details were discussed before Jaune looked up to see everyone in the room nodding their heads at his plan. He turned towards Blake and asked her a question that he should have asked earlier. "Where are the explosives?" She gestured towards a door. "I'll show you, but before that, everyone get yourself some rest we'll need to be ready to execute this plan later this night." Sounds of agreement could be heard as the group of men and women broke off from the table and made their way to various parts of the house to get some shut eye.

"This way, I'll show you the room." Jaune followed behind the young woman as she opened the door she had gestured to before, and after walking down a short hallway they found themselves in a small room with wooden crates along the wall. Blake walked over to one and opened the lid to reveal the contents inside. Sticks of dynamite lay close to one another and Jaune found himself impressed at the amount that the resistance fighters had procured.

"Well I'm no demolition expert, but I think this will do the job quite nicely." He picked up one of the stick and gave it a quick look over to see how the quality was like. Seeing nothing wrong with the stick in his hand he put back into the box before his eyes shifted over to black haired woman beside him. "I don't mean to sound pessimistic, but things don't always go according to plan. I said what I thought would work in this given situation, but I think it would be prudent to be ready to change a few things if the need arises."

Blake meet his gaze and nodded her head before turning around and walking away from the crates. "I suggest you get some rest Lieutenant." She said curtly, before leaving Jaune in the room by himself. He shook his head before also making his way out of the room. He walked a few feet before slowly sinking down in the hallway with his back to the wall. He leaned his head back against the hard wood wall and closed his eyes.

The plan would be put into action in a few hours, and the lives of thousands rested on his shoulders, the responsibility he was given was immense and not wanting to dwell on the nerves one could get from this. He opened his eyes and decided to check over his equipment one more time. You could say it was a small habit of his whenever there was some down time to be had, as it helped keep his mind off of all the killing and explosions that he usually heard when he was in the trenches.

Pulling out his trusty melee weapon, Jaune gazed at the blade and pondered how the knife wasn't permanently stained red with all the blood spilled on its blade. He couldn't help but think how the young man. No, boy from the countryside had changed in the gruesome muddy battlefields. Some part of himself died the day he took another person's life. Glory or adventure didn't exist in this war, only death and despair.

"You know if I survive this war, I think I'll become a school teacher." He snorted. "Maybe I can help teach the next generation to avoid war." Ruefully shaking his head he pulled out a piece of cloth from his coat and started to wipe the blade. Even though the blade was spotless of all dirt and grime, the act of cleaning his knife was almost therapeutic in a way, and helped with keeping his nerves in check. A few minutes later he put the knife away and pulled out the sidearm at his side and started to fiddle with the piece as he went about wiping down the cold piece of metal.

A heaviness in his eyelids made him put away the pistol and close his eyes. Soon sleep embraced him and he slipped off into oblivion. For what seemed like an intangible amount of time, Jaune found himself in blackness before a single voice made him crack open his eyes, but instead of seeing a hallway he saw a blue sky with a few clouds lazily floating in the air. Jolting up he was meet a laugh from behind him which made him turn his head to see who made the sound.

He got his answer when he saw a young woman leaning against a staff. He studied her face briefly, she had a light brown complexion, with short straight brown hair, and brown eyes. Overall, she had a rather lovely appearance about her. Still going to sleep in a hallway and then waking up on a dirt road made some questions float to his mind, but before he could ask them the young woman addressed him.

" _ **Before you ask the question, you are dreaming, your body is still laying peacefully in a hallway, you haven't moved at all. I wanted to talk to you for a while, and I thought this would be a good place to relax."**_

Jaune took in the area around him and saw that a wooden fence separated the road he was on and a grassy field. A forest in the distance could be heard with the sounds of birds chirping. The overall environment was peaceful and calm. His gaze focused on the woman as he slowly stood up and faced her. "If I am dreaming, then who are you? I don't think I've ever seen you before."

She smiled, _**"No Jaune this is the first time we've met, but hopefully this won't be the last time either. Now if I may, I want to ask you a question. Why do you want to live?"**_

Jaune crossed his arms as he pondered the question. A simply answer would be because he didn't want to die, but he suspected that wasn't the answer she was looking for.

"Well when I first joined the war, I admit I entertained thoughts of glory and honoring my ancestor's name. But after my first battle I knew that war was a gruesome and bloody thing to behold. Now I fight this war not for the heroism, but because I never want my family to experience the hellish conditions I've had to go through. I also have the soldiers under my command who are also like family to me, and I would like nothing better than to get them all home safe and sound. If that means I have to die so that that happens, then I have no doubt in my mind that my family will understand my decision. Does that answer your question?"

The young woman stood up from leaning on her staff. _**"Do you truly mean that?"**_

Jaune put a hand over his heart and raised his other hand in the air. "You have my word as an Arc." She studied his face for a minute before her eyes twinkled with an emotion that he couldn't quite identify. _**"I see, well Jaune I've found what I was looking for, perhaps we'll talk again some other time, but for now you are needed elsewhere."**_

Jaune took her statement that he was going to be waking up soon, but before that happened he had one more question to ask. "What's your name?" She opened her mouth and replied but he couldn't hear what she said as she smiled before waving and mouthing goodbye to him. His vision went white as he heard another voice calling out him.

"Lieutenant it's time." Jaune found himself in the hallway he had fallen asleep in. Looking up he saw Blake gazing down at him. He quickly brought his legs in and pushed himself up into a standing position. Glancing down at his watch he saw that it was 0500 in the morning, a few hours before the attack was scheduled to happen.

"We need to get moving soon, it will take a while to get into position before we can e9xecute the plan." Jaune nodded at her suggestion and he soon found himself in the room where the mission plans were created a few hours ago.

People were doing last minute checks over their equipment before the plan would be put into motion. Once everyone was ready, Blake and Sun walked in with a few satchels and some arming wire. Sun walked over and handed him one, glancing inside he confirmed that it was some sticks of dynamite and some strips of cloth to help secure said explosive to the underside of the bridge.

Soon the all the lights in the house were turned off and a pale light streaming through the windows bathed the occupants inside. Jaune looked over to see the raven haired woman slip her mask on and pull up her scarf to her nose before donning a newsboy cap on her head. Their eyes meet briefly as she nodded to the group of people. Everyone hastily made their way out into the cold damp night.

* * *

The small group of people quietly made their way across fields and roads stopping occasionally to hide from passing enemy troops. Everyone's breath could be seen exiting their mouths as the weather was cold outside. Jaune looked up and gazed at the shattered moon that bathed the ground with its pale light. As he heard the sporadic gunfire coming from the trenches grow quitter, he found himself going deeper behind enemy lines. A sense of excitement coursed through his veins. Having been stuck in the same trenches for months, the scenery he was used to was mostly mud and decaying flesh. Walking through the grassy fields and abandoned farmland was a nice change of scenery. Still the silence of the night was also eerie in its own right and he found himself listening for any sounds that didn't come from the group he was with. A fist went up into the air signaling the group to halt. Everyone crouched down and Jaune slowly made his way up to the person who raised their hand.

Blake had signaled the group to halt behind a low hill and noticed the Lieutenant crouching next to her. "What did you see?" He asked in a hushed tone. She pointed towards the hill. "Right over this hill, there is a ditch leading to a road. Some open field separate us from the town. No guards have ever been seen patrolling this area but stay low." She whispered her reply. The Lieutenant gestured towards the others. "They know this right?" She nodded before lifting her head above the small hill, she scanned the area one more time before signaling the group to follow her. She crawled over the hill and into the ditch on the other side before quickly making her way across the road into the field on the other side.

For Blake, the darkness that night provided was comforting to her as she was able to move in the shadows unseen and undetected, and with her Faunus traits, seeing things in the dark was not a problem for her. Of course that came in very handy when locating the enemy and staying out of sight. Which lead to her stopping the group once more as they approached the outskirts of the town. She pulled out her knife from its sheath and motioned for Tukson to follow her before stealthy making her way down a dark alleyway. Nearing the end of the corridor she paused and listened for any footsteps approaching. She didn't have to wait long before what sounded like two people conversing in hushed tones neared her position. In a voice that was barely audible she told Tukson to take out the outside guard while she would take the closest one if they were seen. A miniscule nod was her reply and she waited for the patrol to pass.

Meanwhile, Jaune found himself laying low on the ground and staring into the dark alleyway that the two had disappeared into and waited for their return. A few minutes passed by before a shadowy figure could be seen coming from the alleyway and Jaune subconsciously moved his hand to his knife, his caution was put to rest when a familiar figure gestured for the group to follow before disappearing back in to the darkness. He relaxed his grip on his knife as he stood up and quietly made his way with the rest of the group to where the young woman had just disappeared into.

Tukson peered his head out of the alleyway and looked both ways before gesturing with his hand that the coast was clear. The small group made their way across a narrow street before finding themselves in another small ditch hiding from view. Jaune looked down at his watch and noticed that it was almost time for the guard to be changed and he motioned to Blake and pointed at his watch. A subtle nod was all he got as she tapped Tukson on the shoulder and the two once more disappeared from the group. Jaune looked at his watch and waited. A good amount of time passed before 0600 arrived and he gripped the strap of his satchel in anticipation for the dangerous part he was about to play. About five or so minutes later Tukson reappeared and pointed at him. Jaune released the strap and made his way over just in time to see Blake pulling an Empiric soldier out of the street.

Jaune crouched along the ground as he slowly made his way towards the riverbank. So far no other guards had been seen and the plan was going great so far. Sliding down the rather steep riverbank Jaune quickly made his way towards one of the support pillars for the bridge. He pointed at a resistance fighter and motioned towards another part of the bridge. Soon everyone in his group were quietly strapping the dangerous munitions onto various parts of the bridges support legs. The bridge itself though was big enough to support traffic going both ways and was a good length. So even though blowing up the support legs on each side would help cripple the bridge. The only way to truly destroy it, was by also setting explosives onto the support legs that were in the middle of the bridge.

While Jaune wasn't the strongest person around as he had a few men in his company who beat him in that aspect. He did have lots of stamina. Back in his hometown, whenever he got into a fight with someone who was bigger and stronger than he was, wearing them out was his way of winning, and that trait came in handy at the current time as the only way to get the explosives out to the middle of the bridge was by hanging from his hands and since he didn't want to fall into the river and alert the enemy he was glad that all his training was worth something.

Carefully climbing under the bridge, Jaune looked down and saw his feet dangling above the cold waters and his grip tightened as he made his way out to the middle of the bridges support legs. After a few tense moments he reached the middle and quickly attached a few stick of dynamite before hooking up a firing wire into the explosives. A small grunt made him look over to see that Sun had also made his way to the middle of the bridge and was going about setting his explosives. Soon both of them were done and with a thumbs up to each other, slowly made their way back over to the riverbank.

* * *

As the lieutenant and his group did their part in the mission. Blake found herself scanning the surrounding area for any signs of enemy presence. Finding none she turned her gaze to the pair of people hanging from their arms as they were making their way back to the riverbank. She was not surprised that Sun had gone to the middle of the bridge to plant explosives. He did love to hang on tree branches and the like when possible. But seeing the lieutenant as the other person came as a bit of a shock. Perhaps Atelsian troops were stronger than she previously thought, in her opinion, being stuck in a trench for months on end wasn't a great way to exercise the body, unlike her profession were moving around a lot made for great exercise. While she observed the two finally make it back onto dry land, a few voices made her gaze flinch to a building near the bridge.

A single Imperial soldier walked out of the door rather tipsy, if she had to take a guess he was probably a bit drunk. But that didn't matter as the man drunkenly walked towards the riverbank and the group of resistance fighters planting explosives. If they were seen by the man, things could get ugly very fast. Reaching behind her back, she grabbed the weapon and charged.

The enemy soldier had finally made his over to the riverbank and was currently in a staring contest with the people below, but before he could yell a leather cord wrapped around his neck and he felt himself being yanked backwards. Not having total control of his legs he felt his balance slip and he rather hard onto his back. He looked up just in time to see a masked person raising a blade into the air. He couldn't even scream, as a hand came down on his mouth and soon a searing pain bloomed in his chest as a cold piece of metal plunged through his heart. His eyes shot wide open before slowly fluttering closed.

Having been privy to the whole scene. Jaune was impressed how quickly the masked woman had taken out the enemy soldier. He was trained in a number of weapons back in the day, but he had never seen someone use a weapon like she did. Still, he could see the advantage of the weapon as it was capable of tripping or hurting someone depending on how it was used. He wondered how proficient she was with the weapon as she smoothly slide it back behind her back.

Not wasting a moment, he quickly climbed up the hill and helped her move the body out of the open before anyone could see the corpse. Now that the crisis was averted, Jaune dug a shallow trench in the dirt road to hide the wires coming riverbank. Being a nice distance away from the explosion and certain death was a needed. He finished hiding the wires just in time as gunfire and the sounds of battle shook the earth. Looking down at his watch, he saw that the attack had begun. Now the only thing left to do was wait for the enemy to cross the bridge with reinforcements.

That wouldn't happen for a good while, as the Imperial forces held their ground against the advancing Atelsian troops. But after about an hour or so the lines were wavering and the request for reinforcement were made. Soon the sounds of trucks could be heard by the resistance group and everyone's nerves were bathed in adrenaline. Now that daylight had risen, Jaune was able to hear and see a few military trucks crossing the river. Instead of blowing the bridge when they were crossing, he waited for them to pass as that few of trucks was not carrying nearly enough men to reinforce the frontlines. A tap on his shoulder made him look at the still mask covered young woman.

"Why didn't you blow the bridge?" She whispered quietly.

"That wasn't enough troops to destroy, we'll wait for the main force." She nodded at his answer and soon enough a large group of men and equipment could be seen on the far side of the river. Jaune glanced at Blake and gestured to the plunger box. While the mask covered what her reaction was, Jaune saw the young woman put both of her hands on the plunger stick in preparation for the big surprise. "Wait until some of the soldiers cross the bridge as the explosion will still take care of them." He whispered as he raised his hand into the air. "On my signal, blow the bridge."

A few seconds passed as the Imperial forced made their way across the bridge, completely unaware of the danger right below their feet. As soon as a fair amount of them had made it to the other side, Jaune lowered his hand and Blake shoved the plunger down quickly before covering her ears.

The explosion never came...

* * *

 **Mwahaha! Cliffhanger! I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter!**


	6. Why We Fight

**Hey everyone, I apologize for not posting in awhile. (Insert real life issues) But I present to you the next part of this exciting story!**

 **Disclaimer: I sincerely don't own RWBY.**

 **Anyways please enjoy reading this chapter, and don't forget to read, and review!**

* * *

 **The Soldier's Battleground**

 **ザー・ソールジュズ・バタルフィールド**

 **Chapter VI: Why We Fight**

A few seconds passed as the Imperial forces made their way across the bridge, completely unaware of the danger right below their feet. As soon as a fair amount of them had made it to the other side, Jaune lowered his hand and Blake shoved the plunger down quickly before covering her ears. The explosion never came...

When silence was their only answer, Jaune hastily checked the wires attached to the plunger before raising the handle up once more and shoving it down only for it to fail again.

"What's wrong?" Blake hissed at him.

"I don't know, the wiring is on correctly, something must have broken the connection to the explosives." Jaune said with a tense tone as he reached for a pair of binoculars lying near him. Raising them to his eyes he scanned the general area where he had buried the wire into the road. About halfway to the bridge he discovered a rut in the road where a truck tire had sunk into the muddy road.

"The wire was crushed by one of the trucks that passed earlier. We'll have to wait until the Imperial forces cross so we can repair the line." He lowered the binoculars and glanced at Blake whose expression was impassive.

"No we need to destroy the bridge. The Atelsian forces are relying on us to get this done." A resistance fighter urgently added to the conversation.

Jaune shook his head. "I know how important blowing the bridge is, but if we head out there now it will only end in slaughter. We need to wait until this group has passed and we have some breathing room. I need two people to provide covering fire from that building over there." He pointed towards a house about a hundred meters to his left.

"Organize three groups of four, spread out in the area and cause a distraction. Draw their attention away from the bridge as best you can." Jaune quickly gave out his orders as he unslung the rifle from his back and smoothly slide the bayonet onto the muzzle. Everyone in the group nodded their heads as the Imperial forces continued to cross the bridge. About fifteen minutes later the last of the enemy had crossed and were a sound distance away from the resistance group. Sun decided now was the best time to act and snatched the plunger before anyone could say anything and started to sprint towards the bridge.

Seeing the blonde man take off slightly surprised Jaune before he pointed towards the bridge. "Dang it! Everyone move out, give him some cover!"

Jaune gripped his rifle as he sprinted after the reckless resistance fighter. Even though the plan was made up on the spot, the definition of subtlety was not to cause a commotion. Running out into the middle of a street with a plunger in your grasp was definitely not subtle.

Even though he had said to wait until the Imperial forces had passed, that didn't mean another group of them wouldn't appear. Which soon proved to be true, as a lone shot rang out in the cold air and a cry of agony could be heard as a response. The element of surprise was destroyed and a plethora of gunfire filled the air. Jaune took cover as a bullet whizzed a bit too close to his face. He grumbled under his breath as a few of the fighters joined him in taking cover.

Laying down cover fire, he fired off a round before ducking back as a few enemy bullets came screaming back as a response. He waited a few moments before peering around the corner of the building and searched to see where Sun had fallen. Surprisingly the young man had made it all the way to where the truck tires had probably crushed the firing wire and was now currently writhing on the ground in pain as the enemy continued firing from across the river. Taking a deep breath, Jaune closed his eyes and exhaled slowly before opening his eyes once more.

' _I really love how plan's come together so perfectly.'_ The sarcastic thought passed through his mind as a really stupid idea started to form in his head. He turned towards the person taking cover next to him and saw that it was the mask covered young woman. Internally brushing off that fact, he handed her the rifle before pulling out his sidearm. He cheekily grinned at her before simply stating. "Cover me."

Dashing out of cover he was soon faced with crackling of enemy fire whizzing by his body as he quickly made his way over to the injured man lying in the middle of the street. Jaune raised his pistol and fired off a few rounds before looking down at Sun.

"Where are you hit?"

Sun let out a pained laugh. "I got hit in my ass, what are the odds."

Jaune snorted as he pulled out some bandages from his pouches. "How'd you manage to get hit in your scrawny ass?" A small shrug was his response as he started to treat the wound.

A bullet struck the ground near the two of them and Jaune grumbled once more as one of the rolls of bandages now had a decent sized hole due the round passing through it.

Now in an optimal situation, he would have pulled Sun into cover before treating his wounds, but time was short and since Sun's injury was non-life threatening, the plunger would have to come first as his choices and cover were limited. Soon a glint in the sky made Jaune pause in his repair to look up and see a grenade coming their way. Without a second thought he shielded Sun with his body as the grenade went off and showered both of them in mud.

Blake was surprised when Sun had dashed off recklessly, but she was even more surprised when the Lieutenant had given her a cheeky grin and proceeded to brave enemy fire to treat a wounded Sun. When she saw the grenade being tossed in their direction, she opened her mouth to warn them only to see the Lieutenant immediately cover Sun with his body and shield the injured Faunus from the blast. Granted he could have done it because it was in the heat of the moment, but seeing a human risk their life to not only treat a Faunus but shield said Faunus with their own body to take the brunt of the deadly blast amazed her. She aimed the rifle she had been given and shot the Imperial soldier who had thrown the explosive.

Meanwhile, Jaune felt himself flinch when a few sharp pieces of shrapnel grazed his back. He grunted as he lifted himself off of Sun, before turning towards the crushed wire and the plunger. Pulling out Crocea Mors he cut the bad part of the wiring before hooking it up to the plunger box. Blowing the bridge from this distance was not really his cup of tea but it had to be done. He glanced at Sun and smirked. "Sorry about this buddy." He shoved the plunger handle down for the third time and the ensuing explosion made the bridge fall into the river in pieces as the supports holding it up were destroyed by the dynamite.

Now that their mission was complete, Jaune discarded the plunger and hefted Sun over his shoulder as he made his way back towards better cover and the rest of the resistance group.

Seeing this, Blake raised the rifle in her hands and provided cover fire for the two males as they made their way back to cover.

Even though the young woman was protecting his back, said back was screaming at him due to the extra weight on it, he ignored the pain as he was not about to abandon someone just because he was lightly injured. Then again the injuries he received would more than likely leave scars on his back, but that thought could wait for later as he finally got the two of them behind the building where another fighter helped him get Sun off of his shoulder. Blake handed his rifle back and nodded towards him.

"Thank you for saving him." She calmly said as she drew her pistol from its holster.

"No problem, but first we need to get out of here before the retreating Imperial forces trap us between the river and the rest of their forces. Our mission is done, it's up to the Atelsian soldiers now."

Blake nodded before whistling to the two fighters who were in the building giving the group covering fire. As soon as the two fighters made their way back to the group, the resistance group disappeared into the shadows and left a destroyed bridge in their wake.

* * *

Now that his mission was complete, Jaune internally breathed a sigh of relief. The plan itself was rather risky and had multiple aspects that could fail, which not surprisingly some did. But overall it was a success. No one was killed, and they had struck a critical blow to the enemy. Or at least that's what they were going for. In the end, if the Atelsian military couldn't push back the Imperial military and take control of the area around the destroyed bridge, then the entire mission would be meaningless.

As the resistance group made their way back to the safe house, the sounds of warfare were growing louder the closer they got to the frontlines. That was to be expected, but now the danger the group faced was getting caught in between the two opposing forces. The resistance group was, unfortunately, ill-equipped to engage in an all-out fight against the enemy. Thus they stuck to the shadows, but now that it was day, Jaune couldn't help but feel a bit vulnerable as the small group had very little cover crossing roads and farmlands. Fortunately for them the safe house was now in sight and there were no enemy soldiers in the area.

Once everyone made it inside, Tukson locked and barricaded the door it before turning towards the group.

"Get to the basement now." He pointed towards a door inside the house. Everyone hastily made their way down the stairwell into the darkness below.

As Jaune was heading down the stairs, a bullet smashed through a window and struck the back of his helmet with a resounding ping. The force of the round made him lose his balance and he tumbled down a few steps before he grabbed the hand rail and stopped himself from falling further.

While a helmet was meant to help protect your skull from injury up to and including a screaming piece of metal, The after effect felt as if someone took a bat to your head and swatted a home-run. Jaune may have survived a scrap with death, but the headache he was experiencing, made him momentarily consider dying to escape the pain.

' _That shot came from the front line, which can only mean I was hit by friendly fire. What the heck man! I survive countless battles only to be almost taken out by an allied soldier. Had to have been a private. Stupid little…'_

As Jaune internally grumbled to himself. He crawled back up the stairs and closed the door behind him, before reaching up and removing his helmet to survey the damage. There were a few flickering light bulbs hanging from the ceiling which gave him enough light to see a large dent in the Brodie helmet.

"Nice, this is coming out of my paycheck for sure." He quietly whispered to himself as he made his way down the stairs.

Having seen and heard what happened to the Lieutenant moments ago, Blake made her way over to the young man and raised the mask from her face.

"You alright?" The Lieutenant gave a thumbs up as he rubbed the back of his head.

"I feel as if I was flung off a cliff and smacked into a tree. But hey, at least I wasn't stabbed by anything." She raised an eyebrow at his odd answer and mentally shook her head at how he brushed off his close call with death.

Their conversation ended when more bullets and the like started to strike the sides of the house as the conflict crept closer towards their position. Dust from the basement ceiling was shaken loose and started to fall slowly to the ground as the ground started to shake from nearby explosions.

"You know it would be a shame if an artillery shell landed on this house and we get trapped here." Now it was Jaune's turn to raise an eyebrow as the young woman said the line with a monotone voice and expressionless face. "Yes, that would be a shame, so I hope you didn't just jinx us."

She lightly smirked at his reply. "Don't lose your head over the comment Lieutenant."

' _Cheeky little…'_ Jaune didn't quite know how to reply to the obvious jab at how he had almost lost his head quite literally moments ago.

An artillery shell landed nearby causing an explosion that made the entire house shake violently as it took out a corner of the building.

Jaune's face took on a deadpan look. "You jinxed us." Nervous laughter passed through group at his statement. The uneasy mood was cut short when pounding could be heard against the house's door. Blake flicked off the lights and pulled out the knife attached to her left boot. Seeing in the dark was not an issue for anyone in the room as they had night vision. Well, besides the Lieutenant who was, as far as she could tell, a human. There were many downsides to being born a Faunus, but it did come with its perks from time to time, this being one of those times.

Silence reigned over the group as the barricaded door was breached and the thudding of boots could be heard above them. The shouts of enemy soldiers could be heard as they spread out to take cover from the advancing Atlesian soldiers. So far, none of the soldiers had gone downstairs but that could change at a moment's notice and Blake wasn't about to die in an underground musty basement.

While Jaune couldn't see at all in the darkness, that didn't stop him from also drawing out Crocea Mors from its sheath. Everyone waited with baited breath as the sounds of battle could be heard directly above them. But fate deemed it necessary to issue a challenge to the hiding group, as the sound of a machine gun could be heard firing directly above.

Blake weighed the risks in her head. If they stayed here than they were relatively safe from danger. But that meant allied soldiers would no doubt be killed in an effort to knock out the weapon. Or they could come out of hiding and take out the machine gun themselves and hopefully save some lives. She looked over at Tukson to see what he thought on the matter, he just nodded his head at her. Even though he couldn't see her face, she glanced towards the Lieutenant and paused to look at the knife in his hands. The blade looked as if it gave off a pale ethereal white glow in the darkness. But that couldn't be right, as the room was pitch black and no metal she knew of glowed. She brushed the thought to the back of her mind as there were more important things to think about right now.

"Lieutenant, we should take out the machine gun above us."

"We have no idea how many enemy soldiers there are in this house, I hope you're prepared for the consequences." Jaune turned his head to the sound of her voice as he also readied his pistol. Knowing roughly where the staircase was to his position, he slowly felt his way over until his hand touched the bottom stair and he started to make his way up. There was no point in looking back as he couldn't see anything anyways so he trusted that when he busted the door open there would be people behind him to help.

A few moments later he felt the basement door in front of him, he reached for the doorknob and carefully cracked open the door. Daylight streamed through the crack and Jaune peered through the opening to see three Imperial soldiers taking cover from incoming fire. He turned back to see a few people behind him on the stairwell looking at him. Gently setting his pistol down to free his hand, he raised three fingers and then pointed in the direction the soldiers were at. Getting a few nods he looked forward once more and picked up his pistol.

The basement door burst open as he charged towards the unaware figures. Just as he was within arm's reach, one of the Imperial soldiers ducked behind cover and saw Jaune charging at him. With no time to react, the soldier felt cold steel digging into his chest right before he slumped down to the ground dead. In that moment the two other soldiers noticed the Atelsian soldier and the element of surprise was shattered. Jaune raised the 1911 and fired off a round point blank into the Imperial soldier on his right before doing the same to the soldier on his left. A sickening squelch could be heard as both of the rounds sunk into the enemy soldier's skulls. Sounds of gunfire could be heard coming from inside the house as the resistance fighters cleared out the first floor.

Hearing the distinct sound only made by a machine gun coming from the ceiling, Jaune hastily made his way to the attic staircase as bullets tore through the building threatening to end his life as they whizzed by him a bit too closely. He ran up the stairs and saw that a corner of the roof had been destroyed and was now being used as a place to shoot from. Raising his pistol once more he fired off three more rounds and killed the machine gunners. Not wanting to get his head blown off by friendly fire, he pulled the machine gun away from the hole and raised his knife in the air. A few more shots splintered the wood around him before the firing on his position stopped and he slowly raised his hands above his head as he stood up to identify himself.

When the Atlesian soldiers below saw that it was a friendly, a small cheer went up as the enemy machine gun had been silenced. Not wanting to give up the momentum, the allied soldiers continued to fight and push back the retreating Imperial army. With no ground taken or lost in months, the prospect of getting out of the muddy wastelands and into cleaner grounds made the Atelsians soldiers fight with renewed resolve.

Jaune wanted to join the fight alongside his comrades, but he had orders to help the resistance group he was with, and even though he had completed the mission, the prospect of just leaving them in this conflict didn't sit quite right in his mind. So, doing the next best thing, he pushed the captured enemy machine gun back to its original position and turned it towards the Imperial troops who were fighting a losing battle.

Aiming down the sights, Jaune narrowed his gaze and locked on to a group of enemy soldiers pining down a group of allied forces. Once again the air was filled with the ominous sound of a machine gun spewing out deaths call, but this time it was against the enemy. Spent casings started to litter the floor as he fired the weapon.

Now when it comes to the machine gun, it is meant to be manned by at least two people, one person fires the weapon, while the other holds and guides the ammo belt into the feed. So the weapon won't jam which, in turn, allows you to continue to fire longer without stopping. Fortunately for him, Blake had made her way up to the attic as well and upon seeing him firing the machine gun, quickly made her way over and assisted him with the ammo belt.

He yelled over the din of battle. "Thanks for the help!" She pointed towards an area to his right. "Focus your fire to the right." Taking her word, he turned the machine gun and saw a group of Imperial soldiers trying to charge at a few Atelsian soldiers who were being pinned down by enemy fire. Not wasting time, he fired off a rather long burst towards the advancing enemy. Within a few seconds the last bullet in the cloth belt was fired and Jaune quickly popped open the machine gun to load another belt. By this time, Tukson had come upstairs as well and and as he assisted Jaune with the reload, he informed him that the rest of the resistance fighters had retreated and were heading back towards friendly lines.

Blake took a step back to get out of their way and pulled out a pair of binoculars to survey the battleground. As she was gazing through the lenses she heard what Tukson said to the Lieutenant had to ask the question. "Then why are you still here?"

He shrugged, "I couldn't just leave my favorite customer now could I?" She just shook her head at his excuse before continuing her searching.

With the weapon reloaded and Tukson taking Blake's place, Jaune once again opened fire on the enemy forces. With Blake as spotter, the small group made quick work of any unfortunate soul who was caught in their sights.

But, no matter how much resolve one possesses, when facing a superior enemy and equipment the odds are more likely than not, not in your favor. This came into play when the sounds of whistling could be heard coming from the sky. Hell was about to be unleashed upon the scorched earth.

* * *

Blake's eyes widened slightly as an artillery shell landed on a group of Atlesian soldiers and vaporized them from existence. She dropped the binocular she was looking through and saw what soldiers on both sides feared. A massive artillery bombardment started to pummel the earth, and any Atlesian forces caught in the blasts were erased from reality. They may have destroyed the bridge, but that didn't mean they destroyed the enemy artillery emplacements located further behind enemy lines.

Having little to no cover, many Atelsian soldiers found themselves being blown to pieces. Seeing the allied soldiers being slaughtered, Jaune stopped firing the machine gun and started to yell at them to find cover. He knew that it was pointless but the feeling of helplessness spurred him to do something. Above him an artillery round sped its way towards his position and hearing the ominous sound whistling its way to him, Jaune quickly turned around and shoved Blake backwards away from the opening. She found herself tumbling down the attic stairs when the shell landed near the house.

Jaune felt himself become airborne from the blast and was thrown out of the building to the muddy ground below. Darkness engulfed his vision as he hit the ground and he felt the air leave his lungs from the impact. As he lay in the mud, his vision swam and his ears rang from the explosion. With unsteady arms he pushed himself off the ground and rolled over to see what was left of the house.

What he saw didn't look good at all, the shell had caused major damage to the building and only two sides of the house still stood from the hit. Even though the chances of there being any survivors were slim, he sluggishly made his way towards the ruined building and saw the mangled body of Tukson slumped down against a wall with blood pooling around him. Jaune shook his head a few times to try and get rid of the dizziness as he made his way over to see that the older man was barely breathing.

"I'm so sorry, when I heard the whistling I just shoved the person behind me..." A bloody hand came up and laid against his chest.

"S-stop blaming yourself kid." Tukson mouth filled with blood and it dribbled out of his mouth. "G-get her out of her, t-take her home..." Tukson's hand dropped from his chest and dropped to the floor. He quickly pressed two fingers against the older man's neck and found no pulse.

"I understand sir, I'll get her out of here." Even though the shells continued fall around him, Jaune ignored the explosions and started to search the building for any signs of the young woman. When he reached the partially destroyed staircase, he saw to his relief a groaning but alive Blake laying under some rubble. He hastily made his over and started to remove the rubble from her body, only to find that a beam had her legs pinned. The big piece of wood barely budged when he tried to move it.

Blake jerked awake as the pain started to register in her muddled mind. She tried to focus her blurry vision and saw the Lieutenant trying to move a wooden beam that was lying across her legs. _'So that's why I can't feel my legs, wait where's Tukson!'_ She let out a haggard cough which caught the attention of the Lieutenant.

"Hey stay still, I need to get your legs free." Jaune continued to try and budge the heavy piece of wood.

"Where, where is Tukson? is he alright?" The look that crossed the Lieutenants face was all she needed as an answer.

"I'm sorry, he was killed in the blast." Frustration was laced in his voice as his hands curled into fists. A distance battle made the two of them look up to see the remaining Atlesians forces that had survived the bombardment in full retreat as enemy reinforcements started to retake their lost territory. Jaune grumbled at the scene as he tried once more to move the beam from Blake's legs.

"Get out of here, there's no point in you staying as you'll just get killed as well!" A steely gaze meet her own and she paused in her yelling when she saw the face staring down her own.

"No I won't leave you. I'll get you out of here if its the last thing I do." His eyes narrowed. "You have my word." With no response, she just nodded at his statement. After a few more minutes of him trying to move the pillar, Blake couldn't help but come to terms that she could very well be killed in the next few minutes.

"I'll be right back, watch your back!" Jaune quickly stood up and ran out of the room leaving a semi surprised Blake behind.

She sighed internally, the fact that he had stayed so long came as a bit of a shock to her. But all good things come to end at some point and even though she would be dying by the hands of the enemy, didn't mean she wouldn't go down fighting for her life. Drawing out her trusty pistol she aimed towards where the enemy would be coming through and waited.

The fighting outside grew closer and soon thereafter an Imperial soldier came charging through the house only to be gunned down by the trapped woman. After shooting down two more soldiers a tossed grenade filled her vision and she closed her eyes, bracing for the cold grip of death to take her. The pounding of feet and a solid thwack made her open her eyes to see the Lieutenant had returned and was holding a long piece of wood in hands. Seeing that the grenade had not killed either of them, she came to the conclusion that the sound she heard was him swatting the explosive away from their position.

Seeing that the immediate danger was gone, Jaune turned back towards Blake and hurriedly stuck the board underneath the beam and started to push against the smaller piece of wood.

"Don't think your going to die that easily on me! I couldn't save Tukson but I can save you!" His muscles started to strain as he pushed against the board.

Seeing the amount of resolve on his face and how much he was risking by staying behind with her. She knew deep down that this was a man she could trust. At least in this situation, if they ever made it out of here then maybe she could get to know the young man better. But that thought would have to wait as another Imperial soldier came through the house and she quickly shot them before they could fire off a round.

A sudden light headiness made her blink rapidly in an effort to clear her vision. But instead of clearing up, her vision started to swim and darkness started to flicker at the edge of her vision. Right as her vision grew dark, she saw the Lieutenants face hovering over her own. Darkness quickly engulfed her mind and the world went black.

* * *

Blake woke up with a jolt and hastily looked around the unfamiliar surroundings she was in. A sudden stab of pain made her reach up to her head only to find it wrapped in bandages. A chill went through her body as the bow she always found herself wearing was not on her head. Before she could locate her black bow a person pushed aside the flap covering the door and stepped inside. Moving on instinct, she bolted towards the unknown person and pinned them against the wall.

"Whoa there, its alright I'm not your enemy." She took in the soldiers uniform and saw that it was an Atelsian one. Her grip slightly loosened but not all the way as she still had some questions.

"Where am I?" The man gave her a calm stare and spoke in a peaceful tone. "Your in the Atelsian trenches, Lieutenant Arc came back here all beaten up carrying you in his arms. He told me to bandage you up as he needed to go talk to the Major." Upon hearing the familiar name she finally let her arms fall to her side and stepped back from the young man. "I see, sorry for treatment I gave you." he raised his hands in surrender. "No need to apologize, perfectly understandably considering you woke up in an unknown environment." Just as the young man finished talking, another figure pushed the cloth flap aside and skipped into the room.

"Hey Ren, how's the...Oh she's awake!" The rather short woman paused in her questioning as she noticed the raven haired female was standing near her childhood friend. Maybe a bit to closely to said friend if she were honest. But that thought was immediately put on hold when she noticed the pair of cat ears on the young woman's head. She squealed at the sight.

"Oh my god they are so cute! Can I touch them!" She started to lunge at the other young woman only to find Ren blocking her path. "Whoa, calm down Nora, she just woke up, don't go scary her now with your actions." The young man turned his head towards Blake with an apologetic look on his face. "Sorry about that." Not quite sure what to make of the situation Blake just accepted the apology and saw the two other people face her.

"We should introduce ourselves, my name is Corporal Lie Ren and this here is..." The rather peppy young woman snapped to attention. "The names Corporal Nora Valkyrie! I enjoy eating pancakes, and being together with Corporal Ren, I mean not together-together as were not like that...anyways whats your name!" Blake noticed how the energetic woman started to fidget after mentioning their relationship or lack thereof? with the young man beside them. She put aside that thought as the two people were waiting for her to speak.

"My name is Blake Belladonna, its a pleasure to meet both of you."

* * *

 **End scene! I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, it took me longer than expected to finish...way to long, but the cast is slowly coming together! Once again I am looking for an editor for this story. If your interested please PM.**


	7. A Kindred Spirit

**Here we are with another chapter in this story, don't worry I'm still alive and writing this story. I cannot believe the amount of followers for this story! As of this posting we have 129 followers! I am so flattered that so many of you enjoy reading my story.**

 **(Alright now to quickly answer some reviews)**

 **Firearm Legume: I like the idea of Winter carrying the C96 Borchart with it leading to the Luger, I personally like the C96 over the Luger, but the voters wanted Blake to carrying a Luger, so yeah not salty in the slightest. For Wiess the only problem I see with her carrying a Webley is I already 'phased' the pistol out for M1911, but maybe the two sisters can have matching pistols? who knows.**

 **ernestohernandez010: I am truly surprised no one's actually written this scenario yet, I'll try to write a one-shot when I get the time and see how the RWBY community feels about it.**

 **As for everyone else who left a comment, thank you for your support!**

 **Please Read and Review**

 **(I don't own RWBY...for now hehe)**

* * *

 **The Soldier's Battleground**

 **ザー・ソールジュズ・バタルフィールド**

 **Chapter VII: A Kindred Spirit**

When the sound of shells could be heard occasionally whistling through the brisk evening air. The majority of Atlesian and Imperial soldiers seeking shelter in their respective trenches, didn't even react or flinch when a shell would explode near them. Getting shot at and trying to kill and maim the other side on an almost weekly made for most soldiers to just ignore the sporadic shells landing in 'No Man's Land'.

This was also the case for Jaune as he casually made his way down a trench leading to the rear, he ignored the sporadic gunfire in the distance and the dirt that splattered against his dented helmet when a shell would land near his position. After getting thrown out of a building, lifting a massive wooden beam, and carrying an unconscious young woman back to friendly lines. He was too tired to even care about catching a stray enemy artillery to the face.

' _Heh then again, if I did catch an artillery round to the face, I literally wouldn't care as my head would be gone…Ugh I need sleep before these puns go any further.'_ He rubbed at his weary eyes to try and clear his sleep deprived vision. When that didn't work, fate found the solution in the form of an artillery shell that landed dangerously close to him, making his ears ring from the explosion. _'I'm up! I'm totally up!'_ The ringing in his ears lessened over time and was completely gone by the time he arrived at the part of the trench where Major Ozpin lived at.

Pushing aside the damp piece of cloth covering the opening in the side of the trench, Jaune ducked his head to avoid hitting the board that held up the makeshift door cover. Once he made it inside he saw the Major and Captain leaning over a table and studying a map laid out on its surface. When he cleared his voice to garner their attention they both turned to see who needed them.

"Major Ozpin, Captain Goodwitch, I have returned from my mission." He raised his right hand and saluted as he addressed the two.

Goodwitch was the first to speak up. "Lieutenant, glad to see you're alive, after the Atlesian forces were forced to retreat, we feared that you may not have made it." Jaune lowered his arm and smirked. "Besides a few bangs and bruises I'm right as rain. I was able to successfully link up with the resistance fighters and destroy the bridge with a few complications."

Ozpin studied the young man for a moment before gesturing to the dent in his helmet and his banged up face. "Is this one of the complications you had to deal with?" Jaune lightly snorted. "I caught a stray bullet to the back of my head and feel down a flight of stairs." A raised eyebrow from Goodwitch was the only reaction he got from the two. Ozpin calmly raised his ever present coffee cup to his lips and took a sip before speaking once again.

"While I am curious as to what happened, you can give me a detailed report tomorrow morning, I want you to get patched up and get some rest first." Not finding a reason to argue with the Major's statement, Jaune saluted the two of them once more, before making his way out of the underground room and into the world of dirt and grim. Exhaustion hit him like a ton of bricks and he yawned as he made his way back towards his quarters.

* * *

"My name is Blake Belladonna, it's a pleasure to meet the two of you." She gave a respective bow to the two of them. But in doing so, she felt herself losing her balance as the adrenaline that was flowing through her system earlier start to wear off and the pain in her legs started to come back in full force.

Seeing the young woman collapse to the ground, Ren stepped forward and knelt down to see what the problem was. Noticing that she was grabbing at her legs, he carefully helped her up and guided the young woman back to the bed she had hurriedly lunged from when he had entered earlier.

"Hey Renny, what's wrong with her?" Nora quickly lent her best friend a hand in helping the injured young woman back to her bed.

"A wooden beam fell on my legs and trapped me. The Lieutenant stayed behind and helped me get free." Blake answered Nora's question with a slightly strained voice.

Ren carefully looked at the bandages around the young woman's legs to see if they were still securely wrapped after the whole scrambling to pin against the wall incident "That sounds like something Lieutenant Arc would do. He's always risking his life to protect those around him." After verifying that they were indeed secure he stood up and looked at Blake in the eyes.

"Try to not move around so much next time, your legs are not broken but you shouldn't strain them anymore than you have too." Blake nodded her head at what the medic was telling her and decided that a good nap was in order when they left her alone.

"Come on Nora, we should leave her be, she needs rest to get her strength back." Ren gently lead Nora to the exit. "But I want to talk to her. Maybe she knows something about sloths or a new recipe about pancakes!" He smiled and shook his head. "You can ask her later, when she's better alright." As the energetic young woman left the room, the Corporal paused without turning around. "I don't know the reason as to why you are hiding your heritage, but Nora and I won't tell anyone. I will say this though, the Lieutenant doesn't care what your heritage is, as your character is what makes you a person." After saying his statement, the Atelsian medic left the room and left Blake to think about what he just said.

Even though the Corporal had said the Lieutenant only cared about her character and not her heritage. She still gazed about the room to see if she could locate her black bow. She noticed that all of her equipment had been taken off of her to treat her wounds and was neatly stacked on a small table near the bed that she was laying in, and on top of her equipment was her bow. Reaching over she securely fastened the bow atop her head to cover her Faunus cat ears.

' _I'm not sure why I'm doing this, the Lieutenant doesn't seem like a racist towards Faunus. Considering how he risked his life to save Sun and then risking his life once again to save me. The Corporal even said he wasn't a racist, but then again, he could have done all that because he was ordered to. I'll have to personally see what he honestly thinks of Faunus, before I can fully trust him with my secret.'_

After properly fixing her bow atop her head, she properly took the time to study the room she was staying in. The first thing she noticed, was that the room was more than likely underground as she noted the dirt in-between the cracks of wood planks lining the wall. Not all that surprising considering she was probably somewhere in the Atelsian trenches. She was pulled out of her observing, when she picked up footsteps outside the cloth flap that enclosed the entrance to the room. She looked up to see the Lieutenant sleepily shuffle his way inside the room. And as if on automatic mode, he stripped off all of his equipment, and removed his jacket and boots before collapsing on the other bed in the room face down. He was sound asleep before his face hit the pillow.

' _Well I guess I can ask him later then, besides a nap sounds wonderful right about now.'_ She felt her eyelids grow heavy with sleep and soon found herself joining the Lieutenant in the realm of dreams.

* * *

Blake found herself waking up to the smell tea brewing and a smell she couldn't quite place. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw that the Lieutenant had gotten up at some point while she was asleep and was busily typing away at something. She carefully sat up and stretched her arms above her head, which in turn, garnered the attention of the Lieutenant by the movement and sounds she made.

"Ah, glad to see your awake, I don't know what you like to eat, but the mess hall was only serving some corned beef and hard tack. I'm sorry I don't have anything better for you to eat." He stood from where he was sitting and made his way over were the tea was brewing and a tray that was covered by a piece of cloth. "Would you like some tea?" He glanced her way as he motioned towards the pot. She nodded wordlessly at his question and he nodded in response as he poured her and himself a cup. She moved her slightly sore legs over the edge of the bed as he handed her the tray of food and the tea.

"Thank you for the food." He waved his hand dismissively as he sat back down at his desk. "No thanks are needed, you can thank the cooks who prepared the meal before you." She couldn't quite tell if he was being sarcastic or not by his tone of voice and decided to drop the thought as her body told her that it was quite hungry. Corned beef was not a food she personally would choose to eat. But considering that this was all the Atelsians soldiers probably ate on a daily basis she couldn't complain.

 _'What I wouldn't give for a piece of fish right now.'_ The whimsical thought passed through her mind as she took a bite of the rather dry corned beef. The hard tack wasn't any better with how dry it was in her mouth. Taking a sip of the tea in-between bits helped with the dryness and soon enough the plate of food was gone and only some crumbs remained on the tray.

Seeing that her cup was almost empty, Jaune stood back up from his seat and brought the pot over to her. "Would you like some more?" She handed him her cup and he refilled quickly before handing back to her. Putting the pot down near her, he silently motioned at the tray in her lap to see if she was done, and after a small nod he removed it and placed it aside to be cleaned at a later time. Noting that she seemed to be in better condition than yesterday he went back to his seat and started to resume his typing. The only sounds in the room was the typewriter and the occasional mumbling coming from the Atelsian soldier as he pondered about something.

"What are you writing about, if you don't me asking?" Blake wasn't really one for small talk as she preferred a good read over a conversation with someone. Unless, of course the topic was something she found interesting enough to engage her attention in. In this case it was the later, as she was curious as to why the Lieutenant was mumbling as he was typing.

Hearing the rather quite young woman speak up and ask him a question, Jaune stopped his typing momentarily and turned to face her. "Nothing much really, I have to write down and record the events that transpired the other day. A battle report of how the bridge was destroyed and all that jazz." He pinched his nose and closed his eyes for a second. "The perks of being an officer in the military doesn't always make up for all the writing I have to do." His hand dropped down from his nose. There's nothing really interesting in it, but your welcome to read it once I'm finished with it. You were there as well, and I could have missed mentioning something that you remember."

Blake nodded her head at what he was saying, "I see, I don't mind looking over the paper when your done writing it." He gave her a small nod and turned back to writing the report. Once again, she found herself with nothing to do. Well another cup of tea didn't sound so bad while she waited for the Lieutenant to be done. She reached over and poured herself another cup, taking small sips she felt her body grow warm from the drink and she grasped the cup just a tiny bit tighter.

Now that the two of them were preoccupied with something, a comfortable silence settled in the room. That was until the Lieutenant finished the report and he offered the paper to Blake. She took the paper from his outstretched hand and started to peruse what the report said about the mission. For the most part he had done an accurate retelling of the events that happened that night. Something she did notice however was the fact that he modified the part were Sun had messed up. According to the report, Sun had braved enemy fire to complete the mission when the firing wire had failed to ignite the explosives, as he was trying to fix the problem, an enemy round had wounded him but he continued fixing the wire until the issue had been fixed and the bridge destroyed. What the Lieutenant hadn't mentioned about the incident, was that it was him, not Sun who had fixed the problem.

' _He didn't include the whole story, why didn't he say in the report that Sun was reckless and could have cost us the mission?'_ She paused in her reading to look up at the Lieutenant. "You didn't mention the whole story, first off it was you who blew the bridge not Sun, and you didn't write in how you went out to treat him, why?" He gave her a small shrug. "I was just doing what was expected of any soldier when a comrade gets wounded in a firefight. I didn't think it was worth mentioning."

"Not worth mentioning? You risked your life too save his, I think that action is worth mentioning." Blake answered him in a calm tone.

Jaune's facial expression took on a serious look. "One of the duties of my job that I take very seriously, is to ensure to the best of my ability that everyone who is under my command and those around me as well, are safe and get to go home back to their friends and loved ones, who are awaiting for their return."

She raised an eyebrow and her thoughts became pensive. "What about your family? Are they not awaiting for your return home as well?"

"Oh they can't wait until I go home, but they know I have a job to do, and besides, I could never forgive myself if I was the reason for someone under my command to die a needless death." The Lieutenant unconsciously started to clench his right hand as he continued to speak, the action didn't go unnoticed by Blake as she studied the young man from where she was sitting. "I know that sounds kinda dumb to say that, as we are literally fighting over a patch of mud, but this is our patch of mud and as long as the Imperials want it, we will continue to fight and keep it under our possession."

"But why do you fight? The Atelsian government wants you to hold this piece of land, but why do you personally fight for this patch of mud?" Blake knew that she was asking a lot of questions, but she was trying to figure out at least a little bit, how the Lieutenant was like.

"Easy, I fight in this hell hole because if I don't, then some other poor chap will have to take my place, and I don't want that next person to be one of my family members. I have a few sisters back home that still have their entire childhood ahead of them. If fighting in this war means they can have that childhood, then so be it." The Lieutenant stretched out his arms in front of him as he finished his answer. "With that being said, let me ask you the same question, why are you fighting in this war?" He leaned forward and rested his arms on his lap as he waited for her answer.

"My reason's are similar to yours actually, minus the sibling part as I am an only child. When the Empire attacked Atlas, I was serving in the town watch when the war started..." Jaune politely raised his hand and she paused to see what his question was. "By town watch, you mean like a militia?"

"Similar, but as the title says, it was more for my town's personal protection, we were trained to handle firearms and the basics of fighting. But it was more for keeping the peace and not fighting a war. As you know, when the war broke out, Atlas lost a great deal of land to the Empire's invasion. My town being apart of that lost territory. So my town watch started to train in guerrilla warfare tactics to help disrupt the enemy, and perhaps help the Atelsian frontlines in the process." Now it was her turn to look at Jaune with a serious expression on her face. "I want to end this war and help free my family from the Empire's grasp. That is why I fight."

A pregnant silence hung in the air as Jaune processed everything he had just heard from the young woman. _'Hmm, so that help's explain why she's fighting in this war, and since she isn't serving in the military officially she doesn't have to be stuck in these rotten trenches, maybe I should have joined the resistance instead. Probably a lot more cleaner than this place will ever be.'_ He mentally snorted at the thoughts crossing his mind, but seeing as he was still being stared at by the young woman he refocused his attention back to her and mentally paused as he looked into her eyes. _'You know, now that I can actually see her face without the mask and the scarf covering it, she's got some really pretty yellow eyes...'_ He brushed off the wayward thought before it went any further.

"I see, your intentions for fighting in this war are commendable, but it doesn't change the fact that this war is a gruesome and bloody business. I hope I'm not overstepping my bounds when I say neither of us truly knew what this war has shown us."

"While I can agree to that, I think you've probably seen more things than I have, as I fight in the shadows away from searching eyes. You on the other hand, must have fought in some less then desirable conditions." Blake had seen her fair share of violence, but when she saw those Atelsian soldiers get vaporized from the artillery shell, she had found herself slightly shocked from the sight she had witnessed. If the Lieutenant had to go through that on more than likely daily basis, she couldn't help but have a small feeling of respect to the young man across from her.

Which reminded her of the momentarily forgotten paper in her hand, she looked down and started to skim through the contents once more. When she reached the part where they had manned the machine gun, he did state that Tukson was a causality of the artillery barrage, and that herself and him were able to successfully retreat back to friendly lines and avoid capture. Once again he omitted the part of how he risked his life as he stayed behind to save her from the fallen wooden beam. Instead of questioning him this time as she had heard his reasoning earlier she just handed the paper back to him when she finished.

"I know you said you were doing what any soldier would have done, but please accept my heartfelt thanks for saving my life. I don't know how I could ever repay you for what you did." Blake knew that a thank you wasn't enough for what he had done, but she couldn't with a clear conscience not thank the man for what he had done.

Jaune raised a hand to the back of his head and waved the other one in front of his face. "Uh your welcome, but like I said I was just doing the right thing, you don't owe me anything, the fact that your alive and well is good enough for me." Jaune stood up from his chair and carefully folded the report in his hand before sticking it in a coat pocket for safe keeping. "Well before I forgot to do so, I'm going to deliver this report to the Major." He quickly made his way out of the room leaving a rather amused Blake behind.

Seeing the rather calm and levelheaded Lieutenant acting slightly abashed slightly amused her. _'I wonder if this is how his real character is like? Then again, I think anyone who's fought in this war has had to grow up quite quickly. But embarrassed feelings don't win wars. I guess I can clean my pistol while he's gone, nothing else to do.'_

Blake reached over and grabbed her pistol from it's holster, she also grabbed a small rag and cleaning kit from the bag she wore on her right thigh. Having done this countless times, she started to take apart her weapon and methodically start to clean the parts of any dirt and mud that had gotten on them from the last battle. For the most part, the weapon was fairly clean, aside from few pieces of dirt that were on some parts. She carefully wiped some dirt from the barrel and with a meticulous gaze looked over the rest of the weapons parts for any other grim.

Even though she tried to clean her weapon's on a daily basis, her pistol probably had gotten some grim in it when she had taken the tumble down the stairs. Still, only having some dirt in the gun instead of dying from the shell that had landed on the house was a fair trade off. Then again, Tukson had died in the blast, a flashback crossed her mind and she remembered being shoved down the stairs in an attempt to save her life. Seeing as how both the Lieutenant and her were alive, it had to have been Tukson who had pushed them out of the way. Unfortunately he was not able to save himself. Poor man, before the war had started, he had run a bookstore that she found herself more often in, trying to find a book to read. May Monty have mercy on his soul.

With the dirt cleaned from the gun, she reached over to her bag to grab the small oil bottle only to find it empty.

 _'I forgot that I needed to refill the oil, maybe the Lieutenant has some, I'll wait till he gets back as I don't feel right going through his things.'_

As if he had heard her thoughts, Jaune had returned from his trip to the Major and upon entering the room saw Blake with a disassembled pistol laying on the bed she was on.

"Cleaning your weapon?" While it was a rhetorical statement, he was a bit surprised when heard an answer. "Yes I was, but I don't have any more gun oil, if you have some, do you mind if I use some? The request wasn't a hard one to fulfill and he made his way over to the desk in the room.

"Yeah, I've got some around here I think, give me a second." He started to open drawers as he didn't quite remember were he had put his gun oil bottle, cleaning his knife was a daily thing, even cleaning his rifle too, but it had been awhile since he had used oil for its parts. As he was looking through the drawers something caught Blake's eyes and she had to ask.

"Was there a book in the drawer you just opened?" Jaune momentarily paused in his searching as he heard the question. "Yeah there was, why?"

"To be honest I enjoy reading books in my spare time, and seeing a book piqued my interest."

"I see, well it's a book my older sister wrote, she gave me a copy to read, but I haven't read it yet." By this time, Jaune felt a cold sweat settle over his body as the direction of this conversation made him start to worry.

"Do you mind if I read it then? That is, if your not about to read it yourself." While Blake's voice was outwardly calm, internally she was excited that she had something to read.

"No, no I'm not planning on reading right at the moment, you can read it if you want." He found the gun oil bottle in the drawer he had open and handed it to the young woman before re-opening the previous drawer and grabbing the book that was laying inside. Brushing the cover off he carefully handed it to the young woman.

 _'Oh god, the reason why I haven't read the book is because I was the one who wrote it...'_ Jaune watched with bated breath as the young woman looked at the title of the book and read it aloud.

"Ninja's of Love? Your sister wrote a romance novel then?" Blake opened the book and started to skim the pages.

"Yeah, I guess so, like I said never read it, and it has been awhile since I received that so I don't remember."

Back from where Jaune was born, to most of the public he had a gift in martial arts, but to a select few, he was upcoming amateur author, but that part of his life was top secret, nobody was going to find that part out about him anytime soon.

"Thank you, I'll enjoy reading this later, but I should finish cleaning my weapons first." Blake put the book down on the bed before resuming her maintenance.

Jaune internally sighed as he made his way over to his bed and pulled out Crocea Mors from its sheath. _"Might as well clean my knife as well, nothing better to do.'_ After a little while he looked up from his cleaning to see that Blake had finished putting her pistol back together and was now working on a dagger of sorts. Seeing as how the blade was rather unique, he was curious if perhaps the blade was a family heirloom like his.

"Excuse me, but I've never seen that type of blade before, is it perhaps a family heirloom?" Blake stopped wiping the blade and looked up to see a questioning gaze on the Lieutenants face.

"I wouldn't say its a family heirloom per-se, my mother gave this to me as a gift when I joined the resistance. The pistol I carry is the gift I received from my father. My parent's called the set Gambol Shroud. Since firing a firearm is rather loud, and sneaking in the shadows calls for stealth, you make a gamble when you discharge a firearm as it could give your position away. The knife is meant to help shroud your presence from the enemy as it is a silent kill. I personally like the name, even if the reasoning behind it is...unique."

"I think the reasoning behind calling it Gambol Shroud is neat, my knife is a family heirloom that has been handed down the generations. No idea what Crocea Mors means, so I don't have a cool backstory like yours." Jaune shrugged as he said this. Blake on the other hand remembered how his knife had almost glowed in the dark the other day, but seeing as he didn't say anything about it glowing, perhaps it was just her eyes playing tricks on her. That or something was quite odd about the knife.

Before she could pose the question on her mind, an ominous sound could be heard coming from outside.

"GAS! GAS! GAS!, EVERYONE GET YOUR MASKS ON NOW!"

Upon hearing the announcement, Jaune scrambled for his gas mask bag and noticed how Blake didn't have one. _'I am so going to die.'_

"Hear! Put this on quickly!" He shoved the mask into her hands.

Blake protested at what he was doing. "What about you? This is your's isn't it!" She was cut off from any more arguing as she felt the mask being slipped over her head.

"Tuck the bottom part into your shirt!" He reached over and placed her pistol in her hands. "Stay here! I'm going to help everyone else!"

Blake may have only known the young man for a few days, but she genuinely feared for his life. As he had obviously given her his own gas mask. The Lieutenant grabbed his rifle were it was leaning up against the wall and gave her a thumbs up. "Stay safe!"

And with that, he took a deep breath as he pushed aside the cloth flap and made his way outside.

* * *

 **I just love cliffhangers...I'm sure you guys as well. Don't worry I won't do it all the time as that can bug some people.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	8. Baptism by Fire

**Hello everybody! I give to you a new chapter...you know the usual BS. Anyways, I am trying something new here, I made this chapter a little bit longer in length so you will be able to have more story.**

 **Oh yeah before I forgot, it has not come up in reviews or in feedback yet, but before anyone asks, the RWBY cast in this story are a few years older than the canon RWBY. Think of their canon age and add like 3 years and thats about how old they are in this universe give or take.**

 **(Review answer time!)**

 **Erdrick the great-Mission failed we'll get em next time.**

 **Will we? That's for me to know and for you ponder. (Just kidding, I'm still developing the plot line so your question is one that goes through my head occasionally)**

 **Mortzo-good story hope to read more :D**

 **I dunno if I can do that request, perhaps you can read below this review section to see my answer on that question.**

 **I Want To Die69-I absolutely despise cliffhangers...unfortunately I love this story. Damn you and your awesome story, I didn't ask for this. Why have you done this?**

 **Well Rooster Teeth literally launched the cast off of a cliff...so I thought maybe do something different would be a nice change of pace, which is why I do cliffhangers...alright that was stupid excuse I apologize. I do cliffhangers because I uh can I guess...innocently whistles**

 **Company Master Fabien Orion-Schnee Enfield?...really that was painful.**

 **So my renaming isn't always on point. I think its a clever nod to Lee as they both end it two EE's so there. Logic at its finest.**

 **Don't forget to smash that like button...oh wait wrong site. Disregarding that, any and all feedback is greatly appreciated!**

 **(I Do Not Own RWBY, but that doesn't mean I can't write a fan-fiction about them)**

* * *

 **The Soldier's Battleground**

 **ザー・ソールジュズ・バタルフィールド**

 **Chapter VIII: Baptism by Fire**

 _'Father always told me confidence is the key to impressing any woman, I highly doubt that included giving a woman your own gas mask and then giving them a thumbs up as you head out in hopes of finding a spare mask…'_

By now the gas attack had already too roll in and soldiers scrambled to put on the lifesaving mask to keep out the toxic air about to roll over them. Unfortunately, when the mind is put under stress, actions that could be considered simple to do, like putting a gas mask on in training, became almost impossible when faced with the prospect of death. This became apparent when the sounds of choking and coughing could be heard from Atelsian soldiers who had not been able to properly put on their masks.

To those who were properly covered, they could only watch in silent horror as the person next to them writhed in pain. Some shots could be heard throughout the trench from soldiers who had shot themselves rather than suffer a painful and agonizing death from the gas. Jaune came across one such soldier who hadn't been able to put on his mask quick enough and was now lying dead in their own pool of blood.

 _'I'm sorry buddy.'_ He reached down and with a practiced motion, slipped the mask over his head before exhaling as hard as he could to help disperse the minute amount of deadly gas that could be trapped inside the mask when he had put it on. Taking a tentative sniff, Jaune could tell from experience that there wasn't enough gas left in the mask to hurt him, he took a deep breath in to replenish the oxygen that he had been deprived of when he had left his underground room.

The sounds of weapon's being armed could be heard throughout the trench line as a gas attack typically was followed up with an infantry assault. Having ample experience in this matter, Jaune pulled out his bayonet from its sheath and attached it the end of his rifle. Others around him soon followed suit with his action, and after everyone was done an eerie silence fell across the trenches.

 _'One of the problems with a gas attack is having to fight in this restrictive mask and locating the enemy in said gas cloud. Wait I think I see…'_ A lone bullet pierced through the cold air and hit an unlucky Atelsian in their head as the sound of a helmet being hit could be heard right before the soldier slumped down back into the trench.

 _ **Fwee! Fwee!**_ The sounds of whistles being blown, could be heard coming from the gas cloud and seeing as how that was the signal for the enemy to attack, the Atelsian soldiers took it as an invitation to respond in kind. Once again the sounds of war erupted across the land as both sides fought for supremacy over the other.

Jaune saw the glint of a bayonet as a masked Imperial soldier came charging out of the cloud he quickly aimed up the shot before pulling the trigger and dropping the enemy soldier. Not having any time to waste, he pulled the bolt back quickly before pushing it back forward and loading a new round into the barrel. A few bullets sprayed the area in front of him but didn't faze him as that was a common occurrence.

 _'I find it normal when a bullet misses me by a few inches and strikes the area around me…I need a physiatrist when this is all over to help explain to me the dictionary meaning of normal.'_ Another round left his rifle and an enemy soldier cried out in pain as they gripped their leg from the hit. Even though killing a soldier was preferred, as it took care of them permanently, wounding a soldier also took them out of the fight at least temporarily as they healed.

An enemy round hissed by Jaune and impacted the trench wall behind him, leaving behind one of many bullet holes in the wood boards. But that fact went unnoticed by him as he had more pressing issues on hand. Firing off a few more rounds into the now dispersing gas cloud meant that he had to reload his weapon in order to continue fighting. Leaving the bolt action open, Jaune reached down to his waist and pulled out a fresh bullet clip, before pressing it down into the built in magazine of his rifle. He raised the weapon to his shoulder and continued firing at the advancing enemy soldiers charging his trenches.

Even though the Atelsian soldiers tried their best in repelling the incoming enemy. With the disastrous defeat the other day, no allied reinforcements had come to replace all the soldiers who had fallen, which meant the frontlines were currently undermanned and it was because of that reason, that Jaune found himself shoving his rifle to the side to divert the incoming bayonet that an Imperial soldier had tried to skewer him with. After he knocked aside the threat he quickly brought his rifle forward and stabbed the soldier in front of him.

Jaune fell onto his back as the dead soldier slumped forward towards him and he was unable to support the rather heavy weight attached to the end of his rifle. Being on one's back as the enemy was trying to overrun your position was not advisable and he hastily stood back up, pulling his rifle out of the dead body while doing so. He discharged the firearm point blank into the chest of another Imperial soldier that was trying to jump into the trench.

Taking a quick glance to his sides he noticed that a good amount of Imperial soldiers had been killed when they had jumped into the trenches and were strewn about the floor of the trench, But the same could also be said for how the Atelsian soldiers as well as many of them were also lying dead on the ground. When two people were trying to kill each other with a bayonet, more often than not, the person with more experience and training would be walking away from that encounter. Which is why so many bodies of both sides littered the ground.

Jaune didn't have time to fully dwell on the matter as he found his rifle being knocked to the side, with his primary means of stopping the incoming blade gone, he did the only thing he could do on such short notice. Trade one pain for another. Both his hands shot up and he gripped the blade that was heading towards his chest. He started to feel terrible pain flare up in both of his palms as they were easily cut open from the sharp weapon.

Ignoring the pain, he jerked the blade away from his body and pulled the rifle downwards, which made the Imperial soldier come close enough to him that he was able to raise his right foot and kick them away. Not passing up the opportunity, he drew Crocea Mors and lunged towards the stunned enemy soldier with both of his hands on the handle. A primal yell tore from his throat as he stabbed the soldier in the gut. When he twisted the blade sideways, blood started to spurt out and spray his mask in a deep red color.

Bringing an arm and wiping it across the lenses was enough to see out of his mask, a faint pink layer of fluid could still be seen around the edges of the lenses, but that went unnoticed by him as he sheathed his knife and picked up his rifle before aiming it towards an enemy that was about to stab an Atelsian soldier, who was on their back defenseless. A shot was fired, and another casualty was added to the ever growing death count.

Ejecting the spent casing from the rifle, he chambered a fresh round and fired off another shot into the chaos surrounding him. Before he was able to fire off another shot, an immense pain bloomed from the back of his head and he stumbled forward from the impact. He rolled on his back and saw an Imperial soldier with a trench shovel raised above their head.

 _'Why couldn't it be a bat, at least then I could say he hit my melon...'_

The Imperial soldier jerked as a round found its way into their chest and they dropped the shovel as they crumpled to the ground. Taking the save in stride, he scrambled to his feet and tackled another Imperial soldier who had jumped into the trench. Even though the war had stalemated with neither side being able to gain ground against the other. That didn't mean each side didn't try to maul the hell out of each other when they clashed against each other. The definition of brutality would find no better example than what the men and woman of both sides had to do in order to survive the gruesome and gory wasteland that was the battlefield. Which was what Jaune found himself about to do.

His hand shot forward and gripped the edge of the mask that the Imperial soldier was wearing in front him, he yanked the the life saving equipment from their face and threw it behind him. Even though the enemy had lost their mask, that didn't mean they couldn't hold their breath in a last ditch attempt to not inhale the deadly gas cloud that was hanging in the air. Jaune wouldn't have any of that and he gripped the back of the enemy soldiers head before slamming them into the wooden trench wall. But while getting your face smashed against hurt like hell that didn't mean you necessarily would die from the hit. Which Jaune permanently fixed as he buried Crocea Mors into the back of their neck.

Once again he found himself wiping the blood from his mask to be able to see from it. Taking in the scene around him he was slightly surprised to see that the out manned Atelsian forces had been able to hold the line from the advancing Imperial soldiers. He grinned at the sight in front of him, not wasting the chance he raised his hand into the air and pointed it towards the enemy lines.

"Forward! Push them back to their lines!" He grabbed a random rifle from the ground and climbed up one of the trench ladders that led into 'No Man's Land'. Many soldiers joined him in climbing into the wastelands to push back the enemy forces that had tried to take over their trench.

"Come on, move it up, move it up!" Weapons were fired, lives were lost. But the Atelsian soldiers were slowly able to repel the enemy attack and a sense of hope passed through the men and women of Atlas at what they had been able to do. More Atelsian soldiers poured out of the trench as they killed off the last of the Imperial forces still fighting in the Atelsian trenches.

 _'We can do this! I know we can push them back!'_ Jaune yelled as he bayoneted another enemy soldier into the ground. He kept yelling out encouragement to the Atelsian soldiers around him to keep pushing forward towards the Imperial lines. Before long, the Imperial soldiers had been pushed back into their own trenches and were now furiously trying to repel the advancing Atelsian forces. That was abundantly made easier once their machine guns started to tear into the Atelsian soldiers approaching their position.

Jaune dropped to the ground in order to avoid getting hit by the deadly weapon. But sadly some soldiers around him didn't get down fast enough as they found themselves getting to shreds by the blistering fire. Not wanting to be pinned by the machine gun, he reached over to the bloody remains of an Atelsian soldier who had been cut down by enemy fire and grabbed a grenade from their equipment belt. He started to crawl forward, trying to keep his body as close to the ground as possible.

 _'I'm mud, I'm mud, don't mind me I'm just mud...my drill sergeant would have loved to hear my say this...'_ Jaune chanted internally to himself as he got within throwing range of the machine gun nest. Finding himself behind a small embankment, he pulled the pin on the grenade and was about to throw it when a resounding boom pierced the air, the gun went silent and he peeked out over his cover to see that the machine gun now had a sizable hole in its frame and the crew that manned the gun nowhere in sight. Still that didn't mean they couldn't just be hiding from whatever had just hit their gun. So for good measure, he lobbed the grenade into their position, and was rewarded with a satisfying explosion.

 _'What in the world hit the machine gun? that was a decent size hole in the frame.'_ Looking behind him he saw a figure that looked vaguely familiar holding what looked to be a long rifle of sorts. _'She looks oddly familiar but I can't place from where...'_ The thought would have to be answered later as the sound of whistles could be heard in the brisk afternoon air.

"FALL BACK! FALL BACK!" Even though he disagreed with the order, as they were so close to the Imperial lines. Jaune knew that they didn't have enough manpower to secure and hold the enemy trenches. When he started to crawl back towards friendly lines he saw that the young woman was no longer were he had seen her.

A sarcastic thought floated through his mind as he crawled through the mud. _'What was the point of crawling through the mud? She not only takes my moment that I was about to shine in, but she disappears without giving me an apology! how rude of her!'_

* * *

 _'Once again the fruitlessness of this war was proven, when each side tried to push the other back, only to end with both sides unable to secure what they had taken and having to retreat back into their original positions they were in at the beginning of the day. We push, they push, and for what? All that happens is just more causalities...I need some tea right about now.'_ Jaune swayed a bit as he tried to make his way back to his quarters _. 'Dang getting hit in the head sucks, its like getting a hangover without actually touching a single drop of alcohol, which reminds me I feel like I'm forgetting something...'_ His mind was a bit muddled from the shovel to the back of his cranium. Still, pretty much anyone wouldn't be feeling to hot from getting smacked with a shovel.

The correct thing to do in this situation would be to get checked out by a doctor, but the only thing going through Jaune's mind was getting a cup of tea and passing out in his bed. He finally had made it back to the entrance of his quarters and a small smile made its way onto his face. "Time for a proper cup of tea." He pushed the cloth flap aside and stepped inside, only to be taken aback by the scene in front of him. A familiar lone figure was aiming a very dangerous and highly effective pistol right towards his head.

"Whoa! Friendly fire on! Don't shoot me! I've already had my fill for the day!" Jaune threw his hands into the air in mock surrender. Seeing that he wasn't wearing a gas mask. The young woman lowered her weapon and pulled off the rather stuffy gas mask from her face. "You're alive."

"Well seeing as how I'm standing in front of you, I think that's a fairly accurate statement." Jaune's face took on a deadpan look.

"You gave me your gas mask before recklessly going outside into the toxic gasses without it, I think it would be more strange if the thought of you not returning didn't cross my mind in those current circumstances."

"Yeah your right, not one of my brighter ideas, but hey it worked out in the end so all is well. Actually I take that back, I need to get me some of the wonder drug known as Motrin for the headache I'm experiencing right now." Jaune dangerously wobbled on his feet as he made his way over to his bed and feel face down on the blankets. "Be a dear and wake me in five..." He dozed off before completely finishing the statement.

Blake studied the unconscious young man as she slowly stood up on her still quite sore legs and made her over to cover him in a blanket from the bed she was on.

"You are a strange man Lieutenant Arc, but I don't think that's a bad thing." With the simple act finished and knowing that things were relatively safe outside, she went back to her bed and curled up in the corner as she cracked open the book that she had been unable to read up until this point. _'Let's see what this Ninja's of Love is all about.'_

* * *

Jaune groggily opened his eyes and with a bleary vision, gazed about his room to try and find what had woken him up from his wonderful slumber. After a few seconds of searching, his gaze landed on a cup that had steam coming from it. The familiar smell of tea filled his nostrils and he threw off a blanket that he didn't remember having on when he had fallen asleep. Putting the blanket mystery aside, he reached over and grabbed the hot cup and took a sip of the tea. Before he was able to take another drink, a small cough made him pause and he looked up to see the other person in the room holding a book in their lap and giving him a leveled stare.

"If you wouldn't mind, could I have the cup back, I was drinking my tea from it." She lightly gestured in his direction.

"Oh, this is yours? I'm sorry I thought it was mine." Jaune handed the cup over to the young woman, who gratefully took it back from his grasp.

 _'An indirect kiss! I can't believe I shared an indirect kiss with her...then again I've probably done this type of thing with dozens of other people as well. Now my high school self would have probably legitimately started to freak out in this moment, but at this point,_ _sharing canteens is such a common occurrence that I don't even mind it anymore.'_

"No your good, you seemed a bit out of it when you reached for it in the first place. I should have said something earlier as well."

Now that he was a bit more alert and awake to his surroundings, he noticed that the book in her lap wasn't just any book, but the one he had given to her before the attack, and judging from a ribbon to make a temporary book mark she had gotten quite far in the book. "I see that you've read quite a bit of the book since I've been out, I'm going to take a guess and say that you've been enjoying it seeing as how far you've gotten through it."

"Your not wrong, when you fell asleep I decided that it was a good time as any to sit down, relax, and catch up on some reading. This book was able to fill that role for me adequately." Even though outwardly Blake had a calm disposition, her inner self was a bit more excited than she was letting on. _'Are you serious?! This book is a masterpiece! I have not found myself so drawn into main characters such as the two in this book! The romance is so sweet and tender between the lovers. Which makes the smu...I mean artistic scenes all the more enjoyable!'_

"So the book was alright then, I'm glad you enjoyed it, aha." Jaune rubbed the back of his head rather sheepishly from the simple feedback she had given him.

"Unfortunately, I don't think I will be able to finish this before I have to leave. A shame really, as I found it an enjoyable read."

A thought crossed Jaune's mind but before he was able to vocalize the idea, Captain Goodwitch and another soldier decided to crash the party that he totally was having. That line of thought died when a glare was sent his way as if she had heard his sarcastic thought.

"Captain Goodwitch." He gave her his full attention as she didn't seem to be in the mood for joking.

"Lieutenant Arc, I need to talk with you privately." She paused and her gaze fell onto the other woman in the room. "Alone, I know Ms. Belladonna fought alongside you earlier but she needs to leave. Corporal Ren will escort her back to the rear."

 _'Geez whats got your knickers in a bind?'_ Another glare was sent his way as soon as he thought that. Still whatever she wanted to talk with him wouldn't happen until the raven haired resistance fighter left.

"It has been a pleasure talking with you Lieutenant Arc, but I think its time for me to leave, thank you for the tea." Blake stood up and quickly started to gather the few belongings she had brought with her. A few moments later she had everything equipped and strapped onto her body. She gave a small bow to the two other people in the room and made her way over to the medic she had spoken with earlier.

"Wait, you forgot something." Jaune made his way over to her and stretched out his hand. "Here."

"Are you sure? I don't want to take something that your sister gave to you."

"I can always get another copy if I really want to." He gave her a friendly smile to try and help ease her concern on the matter. "When we meet again, I hope it is under more favorable circumstances."

She tentatively took the book from his grasp and shook his hand with her other one. "Stay safe Lieutenant." She left the room and his sight possible for the last time.

But the time to be sentimental could be put off for a later time as he didn't want to keep the Captain waiting longer than needed. "What do you need me to do?"

"We've...acquired some new equipment that we will be testing in a few hours from now. I need you to help organize the new reinforcements coming up to the front lines, as they will participating in the upcoming attack."

"New equipment? Are we getting new weapon's? Please tell me their nothing like the Chauchat."

If was even possible, Goodwitch's face became even more serious. "Lieutenant, if this new equipment works as intended, then this war may soon be over."

That statement made Jaune quite curious as to what this new equipment could possible be, saying that the war may soon be over was not something that had crossed his mind in a long time. "Ma'am, what is this new equipment you are talking off?"

"The higher ups are calling them tanks. They claim that these tanks will clear a path through the barbed wire and to create cover for the Atelsian soldiers seeking refuge from enemy fire. I don't know if the claim is worth it or not, I personally would trust a horse any day over these mechanical beasts."

 _'And here I thought you carried a riding crop for punishing all the males who disobeyed you...yeah not going to continue that train of thought.'_

"Tanks huh, well until I see with my own eyes on how well they do, all I know is that more lives are going to be lost in this upcoming battle."

"That Lieutenant Arc is the sad truth of war, there have always been causalities no matter how advanced our technology has become. Orders will be coming down so be ready to move out." With that, Goodwitch spun around and left Jaune to take in the order he had just been given.

"Well looks like its time to show more lads how to die." He promptly stopped continuing the rather morbid sentence and hastily made his way outside.

* * *

From the time he had stepped outside a few hours ago, to the time he had finished organizing the new reinforcements that had come up from the rear. A massive artillery bombardment had been shelling the Imperial lines in the hopes of softening the enemy forces before the next assault would take place. But that wasn't the only reason, as the Atelsian military needed time to get the newly acquired tanks into position before the attack.

An air of excitement could be felt among the Atelsian ranks as they waited for the signal to commence the assault, most of it was from the new replacements who had yet to face the horrors of combat, but some of it was because of the news that tanks would be joining the foray.

Jaune knew that taking cover behind these tanks would hopefully make it much easier to reach the other side of 'No Man's Land' and possibly reduce the amount of causalities that always occurred in these types of hazards battles. But any soldier worth their salt, also knew that field artillery was still a deadly enemy that rained from above and not from the front from which these tanks would be providing cover.

Just as the artillery strike started to lighten up some, the sounds of diesel engines could be heard roaring to life and soon the earth started to shake as the mechanical beasts started to move forward. Many soldiers looked up in awe as they saw the tanks start to roll over the trenches as if the were nothing. Whistles were blown, and the time to attack had begun.

Even though the tanks were able to provide cover to those behind them, many an Atelsian soldier still perished when they scrambled out of the trench, only to find that a tank wasn't directly in front of them to block the incoming fire. Most Atelsian soldiers who had been on the front lines for awhile knew to keep their heads down and not just blindly come charging out of the protection that the trenches provided and were able to loosely start to line up behind the lumbering beasts. The sounds of bullets and shrapnel could be heard hitting the front of the tanks armor and for some soldiers that was jarring in of itself as they knew without the metal object in front of them, they would have surely died.

The sounds of machine guns and artillery could be heard spewing from the tanks as they steadily moved forward, and every Atelsian soldier felt a boost of confidence from the firepower that they were taking cover behind. And upon seeing the tanks treads crushing the barbed wire defenses with little to no problem a cry of joy went up from the allied soldiers. It was as if nothing could stop these machine's.

 _'Even though these tanks are clearing a path for us, we'll still have to deal with any Imperial soldiers remaining in the trenches, seeing as how these things can easily roll over them but not through them. Once again the wonderful job of cleanup is left to the foot soldier. Joy.'_

Sounds of distress and shock could be heard from his left and he turned to see that a tank had fallen into a rather deep crater hole and was unable to move. That was made even more evident when an enemy artillery round landed next to the tank and heavily damaged the outer hull. A few moments later, black smoke started to pour out from the interior of the tank and everyone with a pair of eyes could see that the thing was well and truly destroyed. That also meant that any soldier who had been taking cover behind the tank were now completely in the open and exposed. Which didn't go unnoticed by an enemy machine gun nest, who started to cut down any Atelsian soldier who wasn't quick enough to get down on the ground.

Jaune grimaced at the sight but refocused his vision back to the front. While the lives lost was terrible, the scene proved to any who witnessed the event, that while these tanks were able to withstand small arms fire, bigger guns were still able to knock them out.

Even though walking behind these tanks provided cover, they also created a massive target, upon which machine guns and the occasional mortar would fire on. An artillery shell exploded behind an Atelsian tank and all the soldiers who were behind the tank were blown to pieces from the shrapnel hurling through the air.

"Steady lads, keep together and don't present yourselves as a target to the enemy. We'll get through this." Jaune noticed that the soldiers he was with were starting to show signs of panic at the events happening around them, and judging from their relatively clean uniforms they were also green behind the ears.

 _'Great I get stuck behind this lumbering piece of metal, and the soldiers around me are about to lose it, my luck sucks.'_

He picked up his pace and clamored on top of the tank in front of him. With a fair amount of protection in front of him as he lay on top of the tank, he proceeded to line up a shot and fire his rifle. Bullets started to hiss by his face as he continued to fire his weapon at the enemy. _'Sticking your body out from behind the tank means you'll more than likely get hit by a bullet, but sticking your head out from the top of the tank is a much better idea...'_ His senses started to tingle and he ducked down right as a grenade went off in front him. While he did get peppered with mud, nothing life ending had hit him and he took as a good sign.

More enemy artillery rounds started to rain from the sky, and occasional an unlucky tank would find itself being blown to smithereens from the blast. Even so, the Atelsian forces had finally arrived at the Imperials first line of defense trenches, and the age old hand to hand combat started once more. Jaune unsheathed Crocea Mors from its sheath and waited atop the tank the tank he was riding on until it started to cross over the Imperial trench line.

 _'This is such a bad idea.'_ He jumped over the side of tank into the chaos happening below him. Of course one good thing that he learned after jumping off the tank was that an Imperial soldier made for a nice makeshift landing cushion. Not wanting the cushion to retaliate, he quickly slashed the soldier across their chest before moving onto his next victim.

With the previous artillery barrage incessantly pounding the forward Imperial lines along with the the Atelsians tanks clearing out most of the machine gun emplacements, the enemy lines quickly fell under Atelsian control. Not wanting to lose the momentum they had gained, the Atelsian forces continued pushing towards the Imperials next line of defense. But this made a whole lot harder as a decent amount of the tanks were getting stuck in rather deep holes or getting struck by incoming enemy shells.

Progress may have been made, but even with the tanks providing cover, the causalities that were being inflicted upon the Atelsian forces were still quite significant. Every inch of ground that was being captured was being paid heavily in both man and machine. But that was the price of war, and death loves to have company.

It soon became apparent that the tanks themselves were starting to specifically be targeted by the incoming enemy rounds, and for most Atelsian soldiers who were used to not having little to no cover decided that it would be safer to brave the small arms fire rather then seek cover behind the tanks and run the chance of being blown up. This of course meant that the tanks in question were slowly being left behind as they could only travel about as fast as a person could walk, and the average Atelsian soldier was now hauling ass trying to get to the other side of 'No Man's Land'.

"Come on, move up!"

"Keep pressing forward! Don't let those Imperial bastards get away!"

Jaune moved ahead of the advancing tanks he soon found himself leading a small group of men towards the next Imperial line of defense, an enemy machine gun nest started to open fire on his position and he saw a soldier next to him catch a round to their arm. The young man cried out in pain as he fell to the ground clutching his bleeding arm. "Man down, medic!" Jaune moved quickly and started to wrap a makeshift bandage on the soldiers arm. "You two up!" He pointed at two random soldiers. "Covering fire!" The rest of the soldiers started to pepper the machine gun in the hopes of suppressing the enemy crew manning the weapon. That plan didn't work as a short burst made quick work of the two soldiers trying to get closer to the enemy position.

 _'Now would be a great time for that female sniper to punch a hole into that machine gun like she did last time.'_ His request was heard, just not quite in the way he was thinking. He heard a dull thump behind him and loud bang in front of him as a grenade made quick work of the machine gun nest. ' _Well that works for me too.'_ He craned his head backwards just in time to witness a sight that made him pause in slight amazement. Standing on top of an Atelsian tank was a cackling Corporal Nora Valkyrie holding her smoking grenade launcher.

"Ahahaha! Forward my noble stead! Show them who is queen of the castle!" She reloaded another grenade into her launcher and fired off another round at a group of Imperial soldiers who were about to open fire on some Atelsian soldiers who were out in the open.

Nora Valkyrie had descended onto the battlefield and she had made quite an impression on those who were seeing her bravery, or stupidity depending on who you asked. Standing on top of the tank gave her a great vantage point, but Jaune wondered how she had yet to be shot in the highly exposed position. _'She must have luck on her side, and that friendly medic who she hangs out with all the time.'_

As if on queue, Corporal Ren also made his appearance and started to treat the injured soldiers around him. Seeing two familiar faces in this hell hole brought a small bit of comfort to Jaune and he pressed forward seeing as how the machine gun nest pinning him down was completely obliterated. Having a tank to hit the big targets, a grenadier moping up the smaller targets, and a combat medic to treat the wounded that happened along the way made for a great combination.

* * *

On another part of the battlefield, things were starting to look dire for a tank crew, as their vehicle had managed to break down and the allied soldiers around them were quickly being gunned downed by advancing enemy forces.

"My gun's jammed!" A young woman with short dark-brown hair yelled, as she tried to clear her weapon that had jammed a few moments ago. "Yatsu! Help Velvet get the repairs done! We need to get out of this position." She was able to clear the gun soon after and once again opened fire on a few Imperial soldiers who had gotten a bit to close to her disabled tank than she was comfortable with.

The young man known as Yatsuhashi, whom she had yelled at a moment ago, got up from his driver seat and made his way over to a rather small girl who was trying her best to repair the damaged tank engine. As she was fixing the unreliable piece of machinery, a pipe above her shook loose and started to spray oil all over hair.

"Bullocks! Why won't you work you stupid piece of shit!" Yatsu paused momentarily as the only times he ever heard the rather timid girl start cursing was when she was truly angry, which almost never happened. Almost being the keyword. He reached over and grabbed a torn piece of cloth and quickly wrapped it around the crack the oil was spraying from. Looking down he saw the young woman wipe her sweaty face with the backside of her hand as she continued to try and fix the faulty engine block.

"Thank you Yatsu, hand me that wrench and hold this piece for me." He did what he was told and he knelled down to help with the repairs. The situation they were in started to look dire. As all the tanks around them had been destroyed by field artillery, and most of the Atelsian soldiers around them had started to retreat from the raining shellfire.

"Watch out!" The final person that was in the tank yelled as he drew his sidearm and fired it at an Imperial soldier who had opened one of the rear access doors to the inside of the tank. Coco glanced behind her at the dead enemy soldier and exhaled loudly from the close call. "Not cool."

The sounds of banging could be heard outside of the tank as enemy soldiers were trying to gain access to the inside. It seemed that the Imperials were trying to capture their tank as it had been left relatively untouched by the field guns that had decimated all the other ones around them.

"Velvet get a message out before they severe our radio antenna, tell command we've been overrun and are in need of immediate support!" Coco continued to try her best and ward of any Imperial soldiers who were trying to approach her side of the tank. The act in of itself was a bit futile considering the order she had just given to the other female in the tank. Immediate support meant they needed allied soldiers to clear their tank of the enemy on top of them. But they also had standing orders to not let their vehicle fall into enemy hands, upon which case they were to call in a friendly artillery strike to eliminate their enemies as well as them.

"Command say's they dispatched a rescue force who will be here in a few minutes, we just need to hold out until then." A look was shared among the four of them and they all nodded at the good news. Coco and Fox continued to main the machine guns on each side of the tank while Velvet grabbed a grenade and pulled the pin. She gave a quick nod to Yatsu. He gripped the handles for the hatch that was for the top of the tank and popped it open just long enough for Velvet to toss the small explosive outside before slamming it shut and locking it once more. The ensuing explosion and the screaming that followed meant that the grenade had done its job. It also probably meant they damaged their tank even more than before.

The intensity of gunfire increased and Velvet could tell from her superior hearing that the sounds were coming from behind the tank, hopefully the sounds were from their rescue force coming their way. Seeing as how both Coco and Fox started to open fire much more often probably meant they had more targets presented to them also solidified her hunch.

Soon enough Atelsian soldiers started to advance past the stuck tank and pursue the retreating enemy. A few knocks on the left rear hatch and a slightly muffled voice could be heard coming from the outside.

"Hey you guys alive in there?!" Coco and Yatsu aimed their pistols at the hatch and immediately lowered them after Velvet opened the hatch to reveal a blonde female Atelsian soldier about to hit the hatch again with the butt stock of the shotgun she was carrying.

"Oh, I heard you guys were in a bit of a pinch and needed some help." The female lowered her shotgun and grinned at all of them.

"Thank you for your help, you came just in the nick of time." Yatsu gave a slight bow as he spoke what everyone in the tank was thinking.

"Just doing my job, by the way, you didn't happen to see a rather short female, carrying a rifle that looks way to big for her size would you?" Everyone shook their heads making the blonde Atelsian soldier sigh.

"Damn it, were did Ruby run off to this time?" She shook her head. "Doesn't matter, I'll catch you guys later!" The young woman rejoined the rest of the Atelsian forces advancing past the disabled tank.

"Come on guys, let's get this tank out of here, we have a job to do." Velvet closed the hatch once more and went back to repairing the engine with Yatsu, while Coco and Fox tried their best in supporting the advancing Atelsian forces. Their involvement in the battle was for the most part over, but they had still made a major contribution in ensuring that this battle would be won by Atlas and her allies.

* * *

Jaune flopped down onto the damp ground and a tired groan escaped his exhausted body. Having to fight in two battles in one day was quite taxing on the body. But overall the battle had been a success and the Atelsians had successfully pushed the Imperial lines backwards. After so many months of no progress being made on either side, this was a huge turn of events. Still that didn't the victory hadn't been easy, even with the new addition of the tank entering the foray. An immense amount of causalities had been inflicted upon the Atelsian forces.

 _'Even with the tanks participating, I feel like Corporal Nora did more for us than they did in providing support. Then again, her energy is really hard to keep up with, I wonder how Corporal Ren can keep up with her all the time. Must be a special skill he obtained while hanging out with her.'_

To the higher ups the battle may have been a complete success, but for the average soldier, it had been a bloodbath. Dedicating such a large force alongside the relativity untested tanks probably wasn't the best idea, as the majority of the tanks experienced mechanical problems and had broken down mid battle. The one's that didn't suffer engine issues, had to deal with enemy field guns that had been placed in the battlefield. While the armor on a tank was sufficient enough to block pretty much all forms of small arms fire and provide protection to Atelsian foot soldiers. But seeing as how they made excellent targets for enemy artillery, very few of the tanks actually made it to the end of the battle without being destroyed or stuck in the quagmire of mud and crater holes.

 _'It is strange though, I don't remember there being any field guns that close to the frontlines, I can understand that when our tanks started to roll out they could be targeted by enemy shellfire. But its almost as if they were expecting the tanks and had deployed field guns to stop them. I'm probably thinking to deep into this though...at least I had better be.'_

He stood up and started to check up on the soldiers around him to see how they were holding up. For the most part moral was decent among the majority of them, but seeing how easily a tank could be destroyed didn't really help boost that feeling. Still a major victory had been made by Atlas and everybody knew it, that didn't stop a few from crying quietly at the loss of life that had happened in the fight.

After ensuring that the wounded had been taken care of and preparations for recovering the dead had been set up it had been a few hours since the battle had ended and Jaune started to ask around to see if anybody knew were Major Ozpin was located. It took a few minutes, but he figured out the general direction from were people had seen the older man. Making his way through rows of exhausted Atelsian soldiers he found the Major sitting down on a wooden crate away from everyone else slowly sipping from a cup filled with coffee and scribbling names into a notepad. Jaune cleared his throat to get the man's attention.

"Sir I've started the evacuating of the wounded and recovering the dead." He paused to look at the pile of bloody dog tags beside the Major. "How many did we lose?"

Major Ozpin removed his glasses and rubbed his tired eyes before slipping the glasses back onto his face. "While I do not know the exact amount, our battalion alone has lost a significant amount of its strength. More than likely we'll be merging with another battalion to fill in the losses." He looked at Jaune and with curious tone asked.

"Lieutenant, tell me in your opinion, what is the point of all this violence, if all it adds up to is just death and destruction? We are sending boys and girls to their deaths, and for what? A patch of mud with no real value or meaning."

"The enemy wants our land and we've been given orders to deny them that right. While the mud itself isn't valuable, the meaning of it is. We may not be the biggest country in the world, but you know as well as I do that Atelsians value their freedom dearly, and the Imperials want to take that away from us. I want my siblings to grow up and be free of oppression and live without fear looming over them."

There was a pregnant pause between the two of them as one of them assessed the other. "I see, but putting that aside, Command has had their eyes on you for quite some time."

Jaune's eyebrows rose at the statement. "I hope it's because I'm not doing something bad."

"Quite the opposite in fact, your performance and skill in previous battles has proven that you have what it takes to be a new type of soldier. You may have started to realize the fact that warfare is not like it used to be. As shown earlier today with the introduction of tanks." Ozpin took another sip of his coffee.

"Sir I understand what you mean, even though the tanks that went into battle today weren't completely effective. The idea of mobile artillery has at least been introduced to the war. Seeing as how easily they rolled over the barbed wire defenses and over enemy trenches shows that the idea of trench warfare may be becoming obsolete in the coming years."

"Precisely, which is were you come in. There are quite a few weapons that Command wishes to try on the battlefield, but due to some of them being rather expensive to make. They don't want to start manufacturing them on a wide scale if the field testing is less than stellar."

"Please tell me there will be other soldiers besides me testing these weapons, because if they want an accurate assessment of the weapons there needs to be more than one tester." Jaune knew he was pointing out the obvious, but he still wanted to hear the answer verbally before he agreed to anything.

"Of course there will be, actually if everything goes according to plan, you will be leading a platoon of your own with other soldiers who have proven themselves on the battlefield. You will still be under the 276th Battalion, but Captain Goodwitch and I will be leading a Company that while have more room to act independently from the main Battalion. Also this is just a theory of mine so take it with a grain of salt, I feeling that if the weapons we will be testing go well, they will probably not be going to the regular army at first."

 _'That doesn't make sense at all, what's the point of testing a weapon if your not going to use it later. Unless...' As_ Jaune processed the theory an idea popped up in his head. "Are the weapons perhaps going to another section of the military that isn't directly associated with the regular army? But will still be serving in combat in some form?"

Ozpin smiled behind his cup at what the young man said. "My thoughts exactly, as to what that section is though, I have no idea. We will just have to wait and see."

"I see, perhaps things will be looking up soon in these hellish conditions."

"The paperwork will take a few days, but I will be calling you soon to give you a full briefing on the matter. So be ready." Jaune nodded his head and glanced at the dreary scenery around him.

"If that's all you need sir, I'll be going now, as I need to organize the men and women for a possible counter attack." Ozpin waved his hand in dismissal and went back to writing down all the names of the dead.

As Jaune made his way through the now overtaken Imperial trenches a thought crossed his weary mind. 'I _could go for a nice cup of tea right about now.'_

* * *

Many miles behind the Imperial lines a well-built young man with silvery-gray hair found himself walking alongside a young woman who had light mint-green hair and a disarmingly friendly smile on her face.

Having worked as a partner to the young woman for quite some time he knew that behind that friendly smile was a thief and hardened killer. But that had worked out well for the two of them, as she would distract their target with her friendly banter while he would sneak in from behind to literally stab the person in the back. That is of course if she didn't get impatient first and kill the person before he could.

Either way that thought could be pursued at a different time as they both purposely made their way through a semi-crowded hallway filled with people carrying miscellaneous papers and the like in their hands as they went about their business. Neither of them paid any attention to them as they had been called by their superior officer, more than likely it was another assassination mission.

"I wonder what the boss wants this time. We already had to go silence a rather rowdy Imperial senator from defecting to the Atelsian side, perhaps it's another assassination mission." She may have said that in a nonchalant tone, but the evil gleam in her eyes told a different story on what she truly thought of killing someone.

"Don't know, we'll figure that out when we get to the office and she can tell us personally." After making their way through a few more rooms and hallways they stopped in front of an intricately decorated wooden door and the young man raised his hand and gave a few solid knocks before lowering his hand and waited for a response.

A muffled voice could be heard coming from the other side of the door. "Who is it?"

"Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai, you called for us?" There was a moment of silence before they heard a reply.

"Come in."

Mercury turned the knob and opened the door to reveal a rather spacious room inside with maps and photos lining the walls with a few melee weapons hanging as decorations with a few of the more colorful one's hanging over a burning fireplace. Even though the weapons were being used as decorations, both Mercury and Emerald knew for a fact that every single one of the could easily dissect a person. An occasion they had been privy to witness a number of times.

Both of them walked forward and went to attention before offering a salute to the only other person in the room. The ashen-black haired woman stared at the two of them with amber eyes and authoritative air about her. Anyone who served under Cinder Fall that she was a ruthless and cunning leader and one wrong move could easily mean forfeiting your life as she had zero tolerance for failure within her ranks.

"Tell me, was the information we received from the informant accurate?" While her voice had a sultry tone to it, that didn't mean she was in the mood for any games, she wanted the facts. Nobody beat around answering a question she asked, in fear of what might happen to them when she grew irritated.

Mercury decided to speak up for the two of them and raised his hand in the air.

"Yes ma'am the information we received from the informant was accurate, if you would allow me too, I can show you were the battle took place." A hand beckoned him to a map on the wall and he quickly made his way over before pointing at a spot on the map.

"The metal machines or as the informant called them 'tanks' struck our frontlines from these place here all the way to over here." He moved his hand along the map as he showed how wide the area the battle had taken place over. "Field guns were deployed to stop the advancing tanks, but an overwhelming amount of Atelsian forces were also sent in as support for the tanks and we were unable to hold the frontlines. A general order of retreat was issued and our forces have fallen back to this point here." Again he moved his hand to show where he was talking about to his boss.

"We were able to inflict massive causalities on them and destroy many of their tanks, and according to your orders, three enemy tanks were captured, but due to how slow they moved they had to be abandoned, which means we were unable to bring back any for further analysis."

A small chuckle left the dangerous woman's lips as she took in everything she had just heard from her underling. "Splendid, everything went according to plan then, we may have lost some ground to the impudent Atelsians, but we have gained some insight into their new weapons of war."

"But ma'am we were unable to successfully capture any enemy tanks for further study." Cinder didn't liked to be questioned on her motives. But giving some insight on this matter would help answer her underling's question.

"I already knew that the chances of successfully capturing an Atelsian tank was minuscule, so for this battle I wanted to see how their tactics were for the tanks and also how durable their armor was. Both have been answered."

A manicured finger painted in dark red flicked the small globe on her desk and she gazed at the two other people in her office for a few moments before she spoke up once more.

"Moving on from this matter, I have a new mission for you to carry out. This one will be difficult to carry out, but I have confidence you will succeed." The gleam that lit up in her female underlings eyes at the news didn't go unnoticed by her observant gaze.

"What's the target this time?" Emerald spoke up this time and had a eager expression on her face.

A small smirk graced Cinder's face and she relayed the information that had come directly from her boss. "You will be eliminating two important figure's in the Atelsian weapon's industry. Winter and Wiess Schnee." Her two underlings shared a look between the two of them before they refocused their attention back to her.

"Rules of engagement?"

"Just one, be subtle and infiltrate the Atelsian ranks and find a way to interact with the Schnee Company. When the opportunity is right, kill them by any means necessary. Do I make myself clear?"

The two underlings snapped to attention at her question and answered in unison. "Yes ma'am!"

"Excellent, I need to...take care of some things first before this operation can take place. But I expect both of you to be ready when the time comes to execute the mission. That is all, you're dismissed."

They both gave her a salute which she returned before they left her office leaving her all by herself. She spun the globe on her desk once more before throwing it into the fireplace and watched lazily as the fire slowly engulfed the world in flames.

"The world will tremble in fear when I unleash upon it the creatures born from the legends of old."

An evil smile crossed her face as the light of the flames danced off the reflection in her eyes.

"Soon my lovely's, soon."

* * *

 **End scene! So how'd you like it? I tried for a longer chapter this time around, hope it worked out for you all.**

 **Also, before anyone points out that the Mark IV tank had a crew of eight instead of four like I made in this story, think of it as in BF1 where in the main campaign the tank crew was only four. Perfect logic.**

 **I also apologize if any of the characters seem a bit OOC, that is not my intention but it's a slight weakness of mine trying to keep everyone's character in character...**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	9. Little Red Riding Hood

**So I'm back from the dead (probably) and here to give you another chapter in my story.**

 **Review Q &A Time**

 **Guest: _yo that's cool you should also wait till the new battlefield dlc coming out that focuses on Russia-_ Your right, I shouldn't post this chapter and wait until that dlc comes out. **

**TheMightyMorgeth: _I'm really enjoying this story and nice reference to Band of Brothers with Sun. Also, I honestly expected the Atlesian Soldiers to have a more Imperial German design to their uniforms, but oh well._ Uh not entirely sure why you expected that, seeing as how they are based off of the british/american side, and the Imperials are based off the Germans. I like to think in my head the uniforms are like Valkyria Chronicles military, maybe not as flashy, but a bit more fantasy like...I don't know.**

 **(Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY)**

* * *

 **The Soldier's Battleground**

 **ザー・ソールジュズ・バタルフィールド**

 **Chapter IX: Little Red Riding Hood**

A little girl no older than seven or eight years old, slowly sat up in her bed and tried rubbing the sleep from her eyes to clear up her bleary vision, when this was unsuccessful, she decided to do the natural thing and go back to bed. Well at least she tried too, until a certain someone started poking her right cheek.

"Come on sleepy head it's time for breakfast."

The little girl groaned and tried to bury her head under the extremely fluffy and utterly comfortable pillow. She felt the person above her stop poking her cheek, and lean in closer to her as she could feel their warm breath hitting her ear.

"Guess I'll just eat all the chocolate chip cookies by myself then."

No one within a five mile radius shot up out of a bed quicker than the little girl after she heard her favorite food. Of course doing so had its consequences as she made contact with the person leaning above her.

"Argh! What the heck Ruby!" The person above her grabbed their nose in pain.

Ruby looked over at her older sister as she rubbed her forehead. "I'm sorry Yang! I didn't mean to hurt you! So I heard you mention cookies!"

"I was just kidding Ruby, I only said that to get you up. What are you doing Ruby?" The older sister took a cautious step backwards at the scary expression on her younger sister's face.

"Ehehehe, you dare use such an underhanded method again to get me up? You'll pay for that!" Ruby lunged at Yang with a scream.

According to their father, this was around the time Yang started to truly appreciate her hair and let absolutely no one touch it. But that horrific event can be told at another time.

* * *

Ruby Rose was born into a rather normal family, she had two loving parents, an older sister, and a big farmland to grow up on. Unfortunately for those around her, she was anything but normal. From the time she could walk, she was either out exploring the forest in her backyard or brainstorming designs of all shapes and sizes. This lead to living a rather secluded life as she found it hard to interact with children her age due to how smart she was. Even so, that didn't stop her from dreaming of bigger and better things in life.

As time went on and Ruby found herself growing up, a breakthrough, at least to her happened when it was discovered that she had a natural talent for hunting. Her skill with a rifle was so great that she soon became the talk of the town. No prey could escape her grasp once she had them in her sights. Her natural talent with hunting coupled with her imagination, lead to her tinkering with weapon designing and experimenting, and also finding out what job she wanted when she became a fully fledged adult.

Sadly life doesn't always go the way you want it to go. War was declared on her home country and almost every able bodied person in her hometown decided to join up and defend their homeland. Her older sister was not exempt from this spirit of adventure, and she witnessed Yang packing her bags and leaving the cozy farmhouse to go and fight in the frontlines. Wanting nothing more than to her sister and stay by her side, she was too young to enlist in the military, the war would have to wait until she grew old enough.

One day as she was wandering through the town square she saw a crowd of people gathering around a wooden podium and decided to go see what the commotion was about. That day a small sliver of hope would be presented to her as the military was in need of more able bodied people and with the permission of one of her parents she could join the military underage as someone who would serve behind the lines in support.

Taking a deep breath in to help calm her nervousness, she pushed her way through the crowd and soon stood in front of the recruiter looking him straight in the eyes. "I would like to have one of those forms please." The recruiter gave a quick glance at her and raised an eyebrow. "How old are you lass?"

"I turned sixteen a few months ago." The recruiter gazed at her for a few moments before handing her a single piece of paper. "Fill this out and after you get your parents approval bring it back to me and I'll see what I can do."

She smiled at the answer and quickly grabbed the paper and started to write down all the information that needed to be filled out. Unfortunately getting her parents' permission was never going to happen. As they had already sent one of their children off to war, they weren't about to send their other one off as well. She would just have to take matters into her own hands.

That night, after her parents had turned in for the night. Ruby quietly made her way out of her bedroom paper in one hand and a small candle that cast its flickering light against the walls in the other. She carefully made her way downstairs towards were her father small study room was located. He always had some type of documents laying about at one point or another.

For the first time in her life, she forged her father's signature and after seeing that everything on the paper was in order hastily made her way back upstairs to her room and before going to bed, gathered a few of her personal belonging and her notebook of ideas and stored them in a small bag.

She had set her plan in motion. Not knowing that it forever change her life, her parents lives. And arguably, even the war itself. But to the young girl, those thoughts didn't dawn on her that night.

The following morning Ruby woke up with a sense of adventure coursing through her veins and she made her way downstairs to go eat breakfast with her family one last time.

"Good morning dear, did you sleep well?" Her mother gave her a smile as she placed a plate of eggs and bacon in front of her. "Yes mom I did, the food looks great by the way!" She covered up her nervousness by shoving a large mouthful of eggs into her mouth.

"Ruby when you're done, do you mind heading out and checking out the northern field's fence line? It's been awhile since I checked that area out."

She nodded her head at her father's request as it would give her a good excuse to be out of the house. A few minutes later, she finished her food and quickly stood up to go and put her plate in the sink. Heading upstairs she grabbed her bag from underneath her bed and went back downstairs to the front door.

"I'm heading out!" She yelled in the direction of the dining room.

"I love you both, I'm sorry." Ruby whispered under her breath and closed the door behind her. An immense amount of guilt welled up inside of her at her deception, but she shook it away as she was doing this to help Yang. Hopefully one day her parents would forgive her. But today would not be that day.

* * *

Ruby replayed the memory of when she had run away from home. But was brought out of her reminiscing when someone tapped her shoulder.

"Hey Rose what's going on in that pretty little head of yours?" She shifted her gaze over to the other young woman beside her. "Ah nothing much, just thinking back a few months ago and how I lived in a warm home with great food and a comfy bed to sleep in."

A snort was her reply. "Please, what's not to like about the conditions we're living in. We have moldy food to fill our bellies and a cold room with rotten cots to sleep in. Life is paradise here." Ruby playfully shoved her friend's shoulder at the response.

"Shut up Crescent, you know what I mean."

"I do actually, but if I'm supposed to peel all these damn potatoes by sundown then I need to have some fun in the process."

Ruby had meet Crescent back when she had gone through basic training, the two of them had become allies in order to help get through the grueling training. After they had graduated, the two of them got stationed together and over time became friends. Despite the dreariness of the war that surrounded Ruby, she had Crescent to help her through it.

"I'm also having to peel the potatoes as well and you don't hear me complaining now do you?"

"There is some irony in what where doing right now, don't you think. I joined the military to get away from being a cook and find excitement, and you joined to get away from farming. And look at what where doing! Give me back my sense of adventure!" Crescent wailed dramatically much to the amusement of Ruby. The two of them shared a laugh and continued to peel the mountain of potatoes piled beside them.

"Sooo, about that date." This time it was Ruby who snorted. "You and your jokes."

Crescent smirked. "Who says I'm joking?" Ruby raised an eyebrow at the answer. "I don't swing that way." Crescent leaned closer with a gleam in her eyes. "How would you know that if you've never even had a boyfriend?" She leaned even closer to Ruby who found herself trying to mentally process the question. "C-Crescent I don't think this is such a good idea." Her friend smiled as their face's got extremely close to each other. After a few moments of them staring each other in the eyes, her friend bust out in laughter.

"Bwahaha, you should see the look on your face right now! Hahaha!" Ruby raised an eyebrow at her friend holding their side in laughter. Before she could comment a young man stumbled into the room with fear plastered on his face.

"The Imperials have broken through our frontlines, we need to get out of here!" He yelled frantically at the two of them. As if to confirm what he just said the sounds of sirens started to blare an alarm. "Let's go!" The three of them scrambled out of the room and as they made their way outside the sounds of gunfire could be heard growing closer to their position.

"Grab what supplies you can, and get them loaded onto the trucks, let's move it people!" An officer waved his pistol in the air and tried to maintain control of the chaos that was unraveling in front of him. "Hurry up, we don't have much time!"

A warbling sound was heard in the sky momentarily before a nearby building found itself missing a portion of its side.

"They've got us zeroed! We need to get out of here!" A random soldier yelled in panic and dropped the box in his arms before running away in terror. More warbling sounds pierced the air and soon the area around Ruby was lite up in death and destruction.

"Come on Rose we need to go!" She felt her right hand being grabbed by her friend.

Another enemy shell exploded near them and destroyed a group of parked trucks. Seeing their main mode of transportation go up in flames. The two of them decided that running was the best course of action.

Bullet's now started to whizz by them as the retreating Atlesian forces started to catch up to the two running figures. Even though they had escaped the opening carnage, fate was not completely on their side as a lone bullet struck the back of Crescent who screamed out in pain from the wound and stumbled to the ground.

"Crescent!" Ruby scrambled to her friend's side and helped her up. "You'll be alright, there's a barn up ahead were we can get you patched up." Her friend gave a pained grunt. "Rose there isn't enough time to stop, you need to keep going."

"Shut up! I won't leave you, come on were almost there!" Ruby helped her wounded friend the rest of the distance and carefully laid her down in a pile of hay. "Stay here, I'll go find something to stop the bleeding." She turned and started to quickly search through the barn to see what she could find.

' _Come on there has to be something that can work! Aha! That blanket will work perfect.'_ Ruby ran over to a blanket that was lying in a corner next to some farm tools. Seeing that the blanket was too big and needed to be cut in order to make a bandage. She grabbed the first sharp farm tool she could find which was a scythe and started to hack at the blanket, easily cutting a strip off.

She grabbed the newly cut piece of blanket and made her way back towards her friend.

"I found a blanket!" Ruby's excitement immediately died when she saw how much blood her best friend had already lost.

' _No, no, no, no!'_ Ruby felt the bile rise in her throat and she violently puked from the disturbing scene. Spitting out the vile taste she hastily made her way over and knelled down next her wounded friend. After a few moments she stood up and with tears falling from her eyes, she surveyed her bandage job.

"The bandages helped stopped the bleeding, but you need medical attention as soon as possible, we need to keep moving."

Crescent let out a pained groan. "I can't Ruby, let me catch my breath first."Ruby noticed her breathing was haggard and sweat was dripping from her forehead.

The sound of footsteps behind them made Ruby turn around to see an Imperial soldier entering the barn. She looked around for something to defend herself and her gaze landed on the farm tool laying a few feet away. With a gaze of determination she dashed over to the simple tool and picked it up. Moving quickly while she had the advantage, she closed in on the enemy soldier and threw the scythe. A sickening squelch could be heard as the blade embedded itself into the Imperials chest. Her aim had been true. A scream behind her made her look behind to see Crescent getting stabbed by another Imperial soldier who must have come in from the other side of the barn.

"Get away from her you bastard!"

Her vision went red with hatred, rage was the only thing going through her mind as she charged at the surprised enemy soldier. Before they could react, she swung the scythe across their chest making blood spray out from the cut. But she was not done with her revenge. She raised the farm tool and swung again, cutting another large wound into the soldier.

A scream born from the pain and sorrow filled her throat as she continued to slash the now dead Imperial soldier. Blood sprayed everywhere blurring her vision but that didn't stop her from slashing the corpse a few more times. With blood dripping from the ends of her hair she stood up from the corpse and looked over to a horrified looking Crescent. Ruby looked down at her bloody hands and finally noticed how badly they were shaking.

"I-I killed a person. What have I done?" Her thoughts where all jumbled up at the act she just committed.

"Ruby you did what had to be done, you saved my life."

Ruby looked at Crescent with a scared expression. "But I brutally killed him."

Crescent held her hand over her right arm were she had been stabbed. "We can talk about it later. Come on we need to get out of here before more show up."

Even though the shock was still flowing through her, she knew her friend was right and she carefully picked up her wounded friend. "Y-yeah let's go."

As the war would carry on, the young country farm girl would lose a part of her child like innocence in order to cope with the horrors.

* * *

 **(Months Later)**

After the horrifying events that she witnessed a few months ago, Ruby pleaded with her superiors to be able to fight on the frontlines. After showing her skill with a rifle, the decision was made. While she could fight on the frontlines, it would still be in a supportive role of a sniper. On a normal basis, if wanted to become a sniper they would have to go through special training, but seeing as time was of essence and replacement soldiers being needed. Ruby was literally given a rifle, a scope and some ammo before being sent up the line.

It didn't take long for rumors to circulate of a sniper who's accuracy was so uncanny that they could shot a bullet through an enemy snipers scope. Alongside that rumor was how the person had killed dozens of soldiers with a scythe when the enemy got to close. At first Ruby tried to dispel the rumors, but over time she just accepted that rumors would always be present and she decided to focus on her job.

Still her skills had caught the eye of the higher ups and soon enough she was asked if she would be willing to test out a new rifle and its ammo, specifically an anti-material one. Unsurprisingly, when she agreed and subsequently used the penetrating power of the new rounds to take out machine gun crews her fame grew once more including her being promoted to the rank of sergeant. One that didn't go unnoticed by a certain coffee loving person.

But even a sniper needs to maintain their equipment and one day Ruby found herself wandering the town behind friendly lines in order to find a gunsmith that had been recommended by a few colleges of her's. Now only if she find the blasted shop she would be golden and could rest her arms from carrying the heavy rifle.

"Aha there it is! The Melodic Cudgel, wonder how it got it's name but who cares. I hope its open." She walked up to the store front and reached for the door knob before giving it an experimental turn to see if it was unlocked. Seeing as it was she pushed on the door and poked her head inside to see a young man looking around the store.

"Oh, I guess the shop is open! Great!" She opened the door the rest of the way and stepped inside. _'I should probably introduce myself to him as its the right thing to do...'_

"Hello, my name is Sergeant Ruby Rose, it's a pleasure to meet you," she exclaimed with a chipper voice.

The man extended his hand to her. "Lieutenant Jaune Arc, I could say the same to you." She took a step forward and stood near him to shake his hand before starting to rock on the balls of her feet. _'Uh what now? I'm not the greatest with socializing.'_

Silence reigned over the room and he began to wonder if he should try and start a conversation to fill the silence.

 _'Oh I know the perfect thing to break the ice!'_ Ruby turned and started to unzip her weapon case.

"So, I have this thing!" She pulled out a rifle that was almost as tall as she was.

"Is that an anti-material rifle?" The man responded with curious tone in his voice to her awesome weapon.

"Yes, it is! Well it's a bit modified by yours truly, but its purpose is still the same. I call her Crescent Rose." Her voice had taken on an ecstatic tone.

"I read about it once, but I've never seen one until now." He looked at the rifle with a curious face.

 _'Haha I did it! I can socialize just fine!'_ Ruby smiled, "So what weapon do you have?"

"I use the standard issue equipment, but I do have a knife that's a family heirloom," She noticed him pull out something from his satchel at his side and show it off to her.

 _'It's a cool looking knife, but not as cool as my baby.'_

"Ah a classic, it's nice to know someone likes to use the classics." She tilted her head as she appraised the rather simple weapon. As Jaune watched the young woman look at the knife he felt a tap on his shoulder. His gaze turned to a young woman who was even shorter than Miss Rose. The young woman motioned to both of the weapons and pointed towards the shop's counter.

"Are you the weapons smith?" The so far quite woman shook her head side to side.

Ruby took note of the rather one-sided conversation the man and the silent woman was having, or wasn't having to be more precise.

"Do you know who the owner of this store is so we can…?"

His question was cut short as a man's voice was heard coming from the back.

"Neo! Where are you? I already told you we don't have enough money to buy ice cream so you better have not gotten any!" A man walked out of the back of the store and paused for a second seeing the three-people standing in the room.

"Oh customers, I'm sorry I didn't hear you come in. The names Roman Torchwick, how can I help you?" The man gestured towards Jaune and Ruby.

"My knife is just in need of some cleaning and sharpening is all." Jaune handed his knife over to the man. Roman grabbed the weapon and looked at the blade with a critical eye before handing it back to Jaune.

"Hmm shouldn't be a problem, I can have it done for you in about an hour or so. What about you Red? What's wrong with your weapon?" Ruby fidgeted under Roman's gaze.

"Actually, I was wondering if you sell maintenance parts for weapons, I just need a few to tune up my weapon."

Roman nodded. "Indeed, we do, Neo please show the young lady to the back for me will you." The short woman nodded before gesturing to Ruby to follow her. She hefted the rifle onto her shoulder and followed the other short woman to the back of the store. _'How will I talk with her if she doesn't speak?'_ Her thoughts ended when she saw how well the back of the store was actually stocked with parts. "Oh wow this is great!" Ruby set her rifle down and started to rummage through the different parts in search of what she was looking for.

 _'I need to find a tube that is long enough to run alongside the rifle I'm modifying, some metal parts as well as some tools.'_ Ruby spent the next minute under the watchful eye of the silent woman as she found and picked up parts she was looking for. She wrapped the materials up in a bundle after the silent woman saw what she picked. They both headed back up front. When she saw the store owner she decided a compliment was in order.

"I must admit I'm surprised you carry all of the parts that I needed, it's a nice change of pace!" Ruby was waving one of her hands around while the other one had a bundle of material in it.

"Please, I pride myself in taking care of my customers, if either of you are need of a custom weapon or anything please stop by here and I'm sure I can handle it." Roman finished his sentence with a flourish and tipped the hat that was on his head. Neo did something similar but it was more of a polite bow.

After paying for things she bought, Ruby and Jaune left the store together and found themselves outside. Jaune turned towards the young woman. "You feeling hungry? I'm coming back here in a few hours, so I might as well eat something as I wait."

Ruby smiled politely at him. "I think that's a great idea, but I have to meet up with my older sister, so I'll have to turn down your offer." She offered an apologetic smile. Jaune waved his hand at her reply.

"You're all good, I hope you get Crescent Rose repaired, I'm glad I to have meet you Miss Rose." Ruby and Jaune shook hands before parting ways.

As Ruby saw the young officer walking away from her she smiled before walking in the opposite direction.

* * *

 **(A few weeks later)**

"Sergeant Rose!" Someone yelling out her name made Ruby pause in chatting with her friend Crescent. "Ah yes I'm Sergeant Rose, what do you need?"

"Some higher up wants you to report to him as soon as possible, there is something they wants to talk to you about I presume." Ruby mentally sighed as she bid her friend farewell and followed the soldier back to the rear. While it did take awhile for the two of them to get all the way to the rear, they finally reached their destination.

"They're waiting inside for you Sergeant Rose." She turned to the young man. "Thank you private, I'll take it from here."

Taking a deep breath to help calm her nerves, Ruby raised her hand and firmly knocked on the wooden door.

"Please come in." A male's voice could be heard coming from the other side, when she opened the door the first person her gaze landed on was an older woman which by her rank put her as a Captain. Another older man was also in the room and was the voice she heard coming in. His rank was that of a Major.

"Sergeant Rose reporting as ordered." She popped a quick salute to the officers who returned it quickly.

"Yes Sergeant we've been expecting you, I am Major Ozpin, and this is my second in command Captain Goodwitch." The man paused to take a sip from the coffee cup in his hand before continuing. "I must say Sergeant you have made quite the stir to some of the higher ups, going from a cook to a deadly sniper is quite the jump in job occupations." A look from the Captain made the Major clear his throat. "Well there is no benefit in beating around the issue. Sergeant Rose it has come to my attention that you received an experimental anti-material rifle and have been testing it on the battlefield, how do you feel about testing more equipment similar to that?"

Ruby pondered the question for a moment before giving her answer to the officer. "So far sir I feel that the weapon is adequate in what it was designed for, and as for testing more equipment, if that is what is required of me then I will do it."

"Hmm I see." He set the coffee cup down and folded his hands together. "Sergeant Rose, considering you have now fought on the frontlines for awhile now, with the addition of the machine gun and tanks, you must have noticed how warfare has been evolving, I would like for you to consider transferring into a squad that will be a part of a new type of soldier.

Major Ozpin's gaze narrowed a fraction. "If this prospect interests you I can elaborate more on what this job entitles."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading this chapter, if some parts do seem confusing, I apologize as I tried my best to get the ideas in my head into a readable chapter. I wanted to get a little bit of back story to Ruby as the idea popped in my head a few days ago.**

 **It also came to my attention that the way I ended the last chapter was a bit cheesy. I have a tendency to use cheesy and corny lines in my writing sometimes so you'll just have to deal with it.**


	10. The Beginning of Something New

**Back with another chapter! The plot is moving along swimmingly...at least to my brain it is.**

 **desdelor97: _This was and amazing chapter. Please keep up the great work._ (Thank you for the compliment! Means alot, so yeah here you go!)**

 **kevinkocher: _what the price of a mile one million regiments if needed the Death Korps of Krieg._ (Uh...I'm not sure what your trying to say here, its a bit to jumbled for me to decipher.)**

 **Jaune-R: _Next update?_ Been kinda busy so no idea, read below for details...**

 **(I do not own RWBY)**

* * *

 **The Soldier's Battleground**

 **ザー・ソールジュズ・バタルフィールド**

 **Chapter X: The Beginning of Something New**

Jaune had done his fair share of babysitting when he lived in his hometown, and services when they needed to go somewhere. This provided him with a nice side job to earn some extra cash considering he was fairly popular with many mothers who had no problem with hiring him to watch over their children. But in all his experiences he had not been given the pleasure of babysitting an eccentric man who's love for coffee was borderline excessive.

"Sir, will you please put down that damn coffee cup and help me with this." Jaune said with a tinge of annoyance in his voice.

"My dear boy, coffee must be sampled with the utmost care and respect, if you do not give it the proper respect it won't taste splendid, but rather drawl." The man brought the coffee cup to his lips and seeing Jaune looking at him with annoyance slightly lowered the coffee cup. He reached over and picked up a brown folder and looked at the contents inside.

"After reading your report on the Forever Falls bridge mission, I believe this person would do well serving under your command." The Major pointed to a photo that showed a young woman with shoulder length hair and a predatory gaze in her eyes. "This young lass seemed to know how to handle herself according to what you wrote down of her actions that day. She may have been part of the Resistance, but her knowledge of the land could prove beneficial to you, amongst other things."

Jaune was trying his best to go through all the reports that were laying on the table and trying to figure out if the persons in the reports were worth their salt. Sadly, a report didn't always accurately portray what a person truly was like. Still, having served under Ozpin for some time, he knew the man possessed an uncanny ability to read people with little to no information. Keeping that in mind alongside the approval of the Major, the decision had been made. Jaune collected everything that pertained to the young woman and put her information to the side.

"Hey what do you think of this man." Jaune handed the scientist a piece of paper which he looked at with a rather bored gaze.

"He's quite a tough fellow, he has standing orders to be transferred to another unit as soon as possible. An incident he got caught up in made this so."

"Please expand on that rather vague sentence." Jaune flicked a piece of hair out of his face as he said this.

"According to the information provided, he had stumbled into a rather dangerous business exchange and after being threatened that if he spoke about it, he would regret it. The man had gone and informed his superior officer. Unfortunately his officer was also in the deal, and a gun was drawn, a scuffle happened and even though he was only defending himself, the officer had been shot and killed."

"Shouldn't the man have been given a trial and set free after proving his innocence in the matter?" Jaune started to skim through the information on the man.

"Well the situation was rather delicate according to the government, so they decided to just cover up the incident as to not cause unnecessary attention to the illegal exchanging going on. This man is to be used as their scapegoat."

"If the government is trying to cover this up, how did you come in possession of this information?"

"Perks with the job we accepted." That was all the Major said on the matter and Jaune shrugged before going back to his reading.

"So seeing as how there will eventually be causalities, have you decided on a medic to do patch work?" The Major finished off his sixth cup of coffee and poured himself another one.

"Yes I do, I was thinking of this soldier, Corporal Lie Ren. A mission had gone wrong and everyone in his squad was severely injured, with the help of Corporal Valkyrie they were able to hold off the enemy and evacuate the wounded from the battlefield." Jaune looked at the information closer. "I've personally worked alongside the two of them, and they both have shown a great deal of courage on the battlefield. I want soldiers who know how to do their job right."

The Major looked at the woman's picture and smirked behind his cup. "I heard a rumor of a crazy woman who was causing mayhem on the battlefield while atop one of the tanks. She does inspire those around her in a unique way."

The two men continued discussing the subject at hand and after a little while they had decided on a pair of sisters who specialized in taking out hardened targets and the like.

"I actually meet Sergeant Rose when I went into town to get my knife sharpened at a weapon's shop. I was also privy to her skills as a sniper when she took a machine gun nest that was pinning me down in a past battle. As for Staff Sergeant Xiao Long, I've personally never seen her, but if the reports are accurate she's stormed a number of enemy trenches and survived due to her skills in hand to hand combat." On a side note, Jaune noticed that while the rest of her uniform was rather dirty her face and hair where more or less relatively cleaner than the rest of her. _'Which reminds I need to get a haircut soon, getting mud caked in my hair is a pain to wash out.'_

Jaune paused in his reading to tell the Major a new piece of information that crossed his mind "Seeing as how this unit will be testing out new equipment, I heard we are being given access to test out prototype tanks, we're going to need a tank crew to manage that." Before he could continue his thought he was stopped by the Major holding up his hand. "Do not worry I have personally taken on the responsibility of overseeing the tank and her crew, rest assured everything is in good hands." Knowing the quirks of the man, Jaune still couldn't help but wonder who the Major had chosen.

"Okay then, I trust your judgement, but who did you choose if you don't mind me asking."

"They were a part of the first assault made by the tanks and were one of the few tanks crews to survive the battle. Lieutenant Adel has proven to quite a capable leader and was able to lead her crew through many obstacles and ensured their survival. Corporal Scarlatina who serves in the crew is also a highly skilled mechanic. She will be a great addition to the maintenance of the experimental tanks." Jaune opened his mouth to reply but was once again silenced by a hand being held up. "On that note, there is another soldier who has caught my eye. Her name is Penelope Polendina, She will be one of the new tank drivers for a new type of tank that we will be testing."

Jaune looked over her profile and saw that she was qualified and came highly recommend for the job. _'I guess we'll see if the recommendation is true or not.'_ Some more miscellaneous details were passed between the two soldiers until Ozpin looked at the watch on his hand and lightly cleared his throat. "Lieutenant, I'm afraid we will have to pause in what we a currently doing as we need to go meet up with the individual who will be helping to outfit your squad." Jaune nodded his head and quickly organized the pile of folders into a somewhat neat mess underneath his arm, before following the Major into the brightly lit hallway outside the room.

After walking by many rooms they came upon a room upon which Ozpin stopped at and knocked upon a couple of times. He then turned to Jaune and gestured to the door. "I'll leave it up to you Sergeant." Ozpin started to walk back in the direction they had previously come from.

"Pardon the intrusion." Jaune opened the door and was meet with an oddly familiar sight. Sitting before him was a man wearing a white coat sipping from a tea cup and holding a tea saucer beneath it.

"Mr. Torchwick?"

"Ah, Mr. Arc pleasure seeing you again boy." The man spun around in a fairly basic-looking office chair, twice, before standing up. "And what does the door-to-door salesman require of my humble presence?" he asked, tipping his saucer towards Jaune with a smirk.

Jaune smiled. "You are to be outfitting my squad with the latest and greatest the military has to offer." Roman pulled out the cigar in his mouth and laid it down on the table.

"Oho. Well, my boy! Sounds like a fabulous time is going to be had. I am willing to offer you my... specialized services. However!" he pointed a finger at Jaune. "Neo shall be the one to manufacture, manhandle, and manipulate the weapons of war we will be dealing with!"

"Manipulate?" Jaune asked hesitantly.

"Erm, please disregard that one. It'll only happen when your backs are turned. She won't say a word about it too anyone, Promise." The man put the cigar back into his mouth.

"I guess we can go along with that," Jaune stated, casting a furtive glance to his companion.

"Oh, splendid!" With a flourish the man offered his hand to Jaune. "It's a pleasure to work with you!"

Jaune grasped the man's hand. "Looking forward to what you come up with."

* * *

After the meeting with one Roman Torchwick, Jaune headed back towards the room were Ozpin and him were previously going over potential recruits. And upon entering found the Major looking over a folder with a serious expression on his face.

"Sir I finished the meeting with Mr. Torchwick." Ozpin looked up at Jaune and nodded his head once before gesturing towards the remaining folders on the table.

"They won't read themselves Lieutenantt." Jaune mentally sighed at the tedious task of having to go through all of these papers. _'I signed up for action and adventure, instead I nearly get my head blown off, get into many close calls with death, and a shit ton of paperwork at the end of it all.'_

He moved over to the pile and picked up another folder before once again starting to read.

* * *

Jaune wiped the small beads of sweat that had started to form on his brow as he ran down a dirt road lined with corpses and destroyed vehicles scattered about the muddy landscape. A few bullets whistled by his face, making him internally cringe at how close he escaped getting hit by the enemy rounds.

 _'Take a break they said, get away from the paperwork he said! Then why the hell am I taking part in storming a freakin bridge!'_ An Atlesian soldier next to him took a grazing round to their leg and they fell down with a cry of pain from the hit. He quickly grabbed the soldier and hauled him to a small ditch before popping up and firing off a round. "MEDIC!" He hollered for a medic before giving a quick pat on the soldier's shoulder. "Keep pressure on that wound and you'll be fine buddy!"

Jaune left the soldier and scrambled out of the shallow ditch and continued towards the bridge. He raised his pistol and lined up the sights on an Imperial soldier who was about to throw a grenade in his direction. The round hit the enemy soldier in the gut and they crumpled to the ground in pain.

"Grenade get down!" Jaune yelled to the allied soldiers around him as he dove for the ground. The ensuing explosion showered him in a hail of mud and grim, but nothing life threatening hit him and he quickly scrambled to his feet afterwards. After a quick glance around him showed that no was injured he gripped his pistol before charging once more towards the main objective. But before that they had a secondary objective to complete.

A small town had built up on either side of the bridge and soon the Atlesian soldiers had to deal with clearing out the buildings in search of hostile forces before continuing the attack on the bridge. Jaune grunted as his right shoulder hit the door frame as a few soldiers also lined up on either side of the door.

"GO!" A private kicked the door open and promptly received a bullet to the arm from an Imperial soldier inside. Jaune who was right behind the private, fired his pistol at the enemy soldier who dropped dead from the shot. "Clear this building out!" He grabbed the injured soldier and quickly looked over the wound.

"Lieutenant Arc, I've got this." Jaune looked to his side to see Ren kneeling next to him. "Right, bullet to the arm, looks like a clean shot." The young man nodded as he started to take out bandages from he bag at his side. Seeing that he was no longer needed, Jaune stood up and started to make his way down the hallway in front of him before turning to a room on his right to see another door to the outside. Seeing no one around him he quickly opened the door and found himself in a small alleyway between buildings. A lone shot rang out and a bullet impacted the building wall next to him. Seeing the the shot had come from a small store's second story window. Jaune sprinted to the entrance and charged in with his pistol ready to fire.

Sweeping the front room revealed no enemies and he started for the back of the store were the stairs to the upper floor probably were located. Turning a corner he was meet with a kick to the gut and he bent forwards from the impact. His training kicked in and he quickly leaned back just in time to avoid a fist aimed at his head. He raised his pistol to fire but was unable to get a shot off before it was knocked out of his hand.

 _'Uh-huh so that's how you want to play.'_ Jaune drew Crocea Mors from it's sheath and jabbed it towards to the enemy soldier. This time it was the Imperial soldier who stepped back to avoid the deadly blade. The soldier drew out his own combat knife and charged towards Jaune.

 _'Well shit.'_ Jaune's thought's on the matter were highly intelligent as he raised his knife to parry the strike towards his neck. With practiced ease he reversed gripped his knife and once again slashed at his enemy before pulling the blade back in anticipation for a retaliating move. Up to and including a thrown knife heading for his chest. He deflected the weapon from his body only to find himself being lifted into the air and being thrown backwards towards a wall. The air was slightly knocked out of him from his back hitting the wall. The Imperial soldier didn't care about that fact and lunged towards to him.

Taking a page from the enemy's book he flicked his wrist and Crocea Mors sailed through the air before lodging into the person's thigh. The soldier stumbled from the blade lodged in his leg and fell to the ground. Not wasting the opportunity presented to him, Jaune kicked the enemy soldier in the face before standing up and grabbing hold of their neck. With a quick twist of his hands a sickening crunch was heard as he broke their neck.

With a tired groan he let go of the corpse in his arms and bent down to pull out Crocea Mors from the Imperial's leg. His pistol lay a few feet away from him and he also retrieved the weapon before checking to see if a round was still in the chamber. Verifying that one was he made his way through the rest of the building to see if anyone was inside before making his way outside to the streets. Seeing Atlesian soldiers running in front of him he sheathed Crocea Mor's and started to make his way to the sound of battle nearby. _'Fuck my life, I need a break.'_

Jaune made his down a street with other Atlesian soldiers and soon came to a mostly destroyed building were some soldiers were taking cover from incoming enemy fire. Not wanting to expose himself more than needed, he crawled over to a Sergeant who was giving orders to his men.

"What's the situation Sergeant!?" The man looked at Jaune and pointed in the direction of a machine gun being fired. "They've got a machine gun nest that is pinning us down from advancing forward, and we think there is also a sniper or two backing the position up!"

Jaune grinned grimly. "So the usual then I presume!" A nod was his response. He pointed at five soldiers. "You five on me, the rest of you give covering fire when I give the signal!" He waited for a lull in the sound of the machine gun firing before signaling the five to follow him.

"Let's go!" The small group of soldiers ran out from the protection of the building and started to run towards the machine gun nest. A bullet split open one of the Atlesians soldier's head from the impact and the dead soldier dropped to the ground. Not having time to recover the body the rest of them ran forward until a small wall were they all laid down to take cover from the blistering fire of the machine gun as it once again opened fire.

"Grenade's ready?!" Jaune pulled a grenade from his belt and pulled the pin. The rest of the soldiers followed suit and he let the spoon of the grenade go which armed the device. Everyone lobbed the grenade over the small wall and the sounds of resounding explosions made it's way to their ears. Unfortunately the sound of the machine gun could still be heard, which meant they had missed in trying to destroy the nest. Jaune pulled out another grenade and was about to pull the pin when the sound of an artillery piece could be heard going off and the shell hitting and destroying the machine gun.

A cheer went up from the Atlesian soldiers at the appearance of an tank entering the scene. An energetic orange haired grenadier was also standing above a turret cheering. Most soldiers in the area didn't quite know how to react to the scene and opted to just ignore the woman and her dangerous antics.

"Kneel before the awesome power of my beast!" One Nora Valkyrie cackled as she pointed across the bridge."Forward my noble stead!" The tank's engine roared as the small vehicle started to make it's way across the bridge. Atlesian soldiers started to follow behind the tank as it slowly rumbled across the bridge. Jaune was about to follow as well until he heard a sound that he only a handful of times, each of those times being unpleasant memories. He looked up to see an enemy biplane diving towards the tank on the bridge.

"Enemy plane, 12'o clock high! Take cover!" He hollered at the group of soldiers behind the tank. Everyone started to raise their rifle into the air and open fire on the approaching aircraft.

With the advancement of technology at an all time high, the creation of flying aircraft had been achieved, but it wasn't until the war started that the newly designed biplane started to carry weapons of it's own, among those weapon's was the addition of two machine gun's mounted in front of the pilot flying the plane. Which were currently spewing rounds out at the tank and also the soldiers seeking cover behind it.

Even though the armor on top of the tank was relatively thin, it was still enough to stop the machine gun bullets and it shrugged off the attack no problem. The soldiers on the other hand were not so lucky and many of them were cut down by the strafing run.

"Medic! We need a medic here!" Jaune fired off a few rounds from his pistol at the now retreating plane as it climbed into the sky. He looked up to see the plane coming around for another pass. But this time he saw something being thrown out of the cockpit by the pilot. "Everyone disperse, disperse!" Once again the plane opened fire on the Atlesian soldiers, but this time the tank that had shrugged off the first strafing now had a sizable smoking hole coming from it's roof as the small bomb that was dropped was enough to blow apart the roof and kill the crew inside.

Jaune ran over to the now burning tank and saw a slightly dazed Nora laying to the side of the tank were she had landed from when she had jumped out of the way of the bomb. "Corporal you alright?" He knelt down and lightly shook her. "Ah? Uh yeah I'm alright, no problem here boss." Seeing the annoying aircraft coming in for yet another run, he needed to someone how deal with it. Seeing Nora's weapon laying beside her he had a really stupid idea come into his mind. "This is a stupid idea, but do you think you can hit the aircraft with your weapon?" She grinned at what he said and grabbed her grenade launcher before aiming it towards the approaching aircraft. The plane once again opened fire and bullets started to spray the area around the two of them, but Nora patiently waited for the right opportunity until...

 ** _Thump_**

The grenade soared out of the barrel and headed towards the now diving plane. With no time to react, the plane ran straight into the grenade and was subsequently destroyed from the explosion. The burning wreckage crashed into the ground behind them taking a building in the process.

Nora grinned at Jaune. "What's your next crazy plan oh fearless leader!?" Jaune pointed towards the other side of the bridge. "End this battle, and get out alive."

She smiled at his statement. "Will do boss."

* * *

 **(A few days later)**

Jaune walked with a brisk pace as both Corporal Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie followed closely behind him as he made his way into a warehouse with vehicles lining the wall, which ranged from the standard transport truck, to artillery pieces and their weapon crates, all the way to the newly acquired Atlesian tanks.

Nora who always seem energetic looked at all the equipment around her with awe and had to be lightly nudged by her best friend Ren to keep pace with the Lieutenant. As she was gazing at everything around her, she noticed a rather peculiar looking vehicle parked next to an Atlesian tank. Rather it looked like a tank, but it was on a much smaller scale and had only one artillery piece located on a what looked to be a rotating turret on top of the body. She bumped into Ren's back as she didn't notice him stop in front of her. The young man turned his head and gave an apologetic smile.

"Corporal Ren, Corporal Valkyrie, stay here while I go finish up some finer details with our supplier. Some other soldiers who will be joining our unit will also be making their way here so keep them entertained until I get back and brief everyone." The two of them gave an affirmative nod as the Lieutenant walked away from them over to what looked to be offices of some sort before disappearing inside in one of them.

"Hey Renny, check out that tank over there! I mean I think it's a tank, it looks like a tank so it has to be a tank right!?" Ren's gaze followed were his childhood was pointing excitedly at a rather small looking tank parked next to a few other bigger tanks that he had before in battle.

"Yes Nora I think you are right in thinking it's a tank." She started to make her way over to the peculiar, only to have a gentle hand grasp her shoulder. "Nora I don't think we should be touching equipment we don't know how to work."

"I don't mind if you touch her!" Nora who was about to reply to Ren cast her gaze over to a young woman who was walked up to the two of them before sticking her hand out in greeting.

"Salutations! My name is Penelope Polendina, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance!"

Ren not forgetting his manner reached his hand out and gave a polite shake to the young woman. "Lie Ren, it's nice to meet you." She gave him a big smile before letting go and looking at Nora with a curious expression on her face. "The names Nora Valkyrie, hi!" The two woman shook each other hands with smiles now adorning their faces.

"Splendid, now that the formalities are out of the way, you expressed excitement in checking out my tank?" Penelope gestured towards the small tank. "I wouldn't mind telling you all about it, come on I'll show you." The three of them made their way over to the machine and Penelope started her speech.

"This is the Vacuon M1917 light tank, it only weighs around six tonnes, much lighter than its counterpart that weighs a massive weight of twenty-eight tonnes. This baby can also go around five miles per hour, quick enough to keep up with and support advancing infantry!" She moved to the front of the tank and after a few second opened a few hatches revealing the inside of the metal machine. "Two man crew, one driver and one gunner. But I'm trying to see if can modify it so that it only needs one person to properly operate it." Ren and Nora quietly listened as the young woman continued to talk about the small tank...

Meanwhile, Jaune found himself looked down at a silent woman staring up at him with a blank expression on her face. "Neo was it? It's nice to see you again. How are you today?" She tilted her head as if thinking before shrugging. "Ah well that's good to hear, is Mr. Torchwick around?" The silent woman pointed at herself before waving her hand as if saying goodbye. Not quite understanding what she was trying to say, Jaune gave her a confused look. Letting out a small huff she pulled out a small notepad and wrote down some words before holding it up to Jaune. _**"He had to leave for some other business."**_ She scribbled down something else before handing the notepad to Jaune who took it without question. She walked over to were a bag was one the ground and after opening it she walked back with what looked to be some type of chest armor.

"I know that the metal chest armor is cumbersome to wear and really only stops pistol bullets. That's why only machine gun crews mainly wear it." Neo handed him the armor before grabbing her notepad back from him and wrote something else down.

 ** _"Roman had this specially designed for you, new type of material. Should be able to resist rifle bullets better than the average chest armor."_**

"Um if this works better than the chest armor currently, why isn't this standard issue then?"

 ** _"To expensive to mass produce at the moment, or so he says."_**

"Hmm, well I'll at least try it on." Jaune slipped the armor piece over his head and started to secure it to his chest. After finishing with putting it on, he started to do some simple movements to see how it felt, and was pleasantly surprised to find that will having a metal plate on his chest was going to get some time to get used to, overall it was rather comfortable to wear.

"Well I'm pleasantly surprised, please tell Mr. Torchwick that this fits rather well."

Neo who was standing and observing him walked up to him and started to give small tugs on different parts of the chest armor before nodding her head. **_"I'll tell him."_** She walked over to the bag once more before coming back and handing Jaune a letter. **_"Details are inside, I would give it a read. If you have questions, Roman will set up a meeting."_**

Jaune nodded in acknowledgment at what she wrote before looking down at his watch. "Well if that's all you need from me Ms. Neo I shall be on my way." She flicked her wrist in a semi-haughty manner before going over and picking up the bag and throwing it over her back. She raised her hand and waved goodbye to Jaune as she left the room.

 _'What a wonderful talk we had, great to hear her voice again. Anyways I need to go brief my new squad.'_

Jaune walked out of the room and noticed a familiar looking blonde haired young man chatting with another familiar looking raven haired female. Besides those two he noticed a few of the other faces in the crowd and smile crossed his face.

 _'I wonder if she finished reading the book I gave her. I'll have to ask her sometime.'_

He cleared his throat to get everyone's attention and they all stopped there conversations and turned their attention to him.

"Hello everyone, my name is Lieutenant Jaune Arc. I will be your commanding officer in a new type of specialized unit that will be hitting the battlefield with new and experimental weaponry. I understand that some of you don't know me that well, but I give you my word that I will do my utmost best to keep you alive and get you through this war."

* * *

 **And there it is! The RWBY crew is now coming together, I know some people are still missing, but don't worry they will be revealed at a later time when the plot calls for them.**

 **On a side note, I am preparing to move to Japan soon, so updates will probably be spotty until I get settled in, but I will try my best to get 1-2 chapters out per month until my schedule is less busy.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	11. United We Stand

**Bookfisher: _Wohoo! The FT 17! all the other tanks of ww1 were just rolling upside down tubs with guns sticking out , the FT 17 was a real tank-_ That's exactly why I choose this tank, as it fits the time period but is also sort of futuristic for the time period.**

 **Pendragon134: _Love this fic, I do hope you update soon_ -I'm moving to Japan soon so updates will be slow until things settle.**

 **Also as a side note, to make things a bit more realistic, when ever someone's name is spoken out loud it will more than likely be their last name as this is what the military does, but when it comes to internally talking about someone it will be their first name. (Example: Jaune looked over to Ruby and called her over. "Sergeant Rose come over here.") Make any sense? Good.**

 **(Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY)**

* * *

 **The Soldier's Battleground**

 **ザー・ソールジュズ・バタルフィールド**

 **Chapter XI: United We Stand**

"Hello everyone, my name is Lieutenant Jaune Arc. I will be your commanding officer in a new type of specialized unit that will be hitting the battlefield with experimental weaponry."

Everyone all had different looks of emotions crossing their faces ranging from anticipation to skepticism, all the way to disdain.

' _Oh, I wonder what's got their knickers in a bind.'_ Jaune noticed a group of soldiers with slight disgust and disdain on their faces and decided to ask rather than wonder endlessly on what they were thinking.

"What's wrong soldier? I know this job will be highly dangerous, but why the look of contempt?" A sneer appeared on the face of a rather tall soldier as he pointed a finger towards a bunny Faunus in the group of soldiers.

"Why the hell do we have to work with that thing? If this is such a dangerous job, then she has no place here." Another young woman who was standing beside the Faunus girl took an aggressive step forward after hearing the insult thrown out by the tall soldier.

"You take that back!" She was about to take another step forward until a small hand gently grabbed her arm, stopping her. "I-it's okay Coco, you don't need to step in for me." A small meek voice was heard from the timid bunny girl as she told her friend to stand down. "But Velvet he…"

"I don't care whether you're a human or Faunus. Every single one of you has been handpicked for your abilities and past accomplishments in the field. You are all Atlesian soldiers who are fighting to protect this country from the invading Imperial military. If any one of you have a problem fighting alongside each other, than I can sign your transfer papers and you will be moved to another unit without any consequences on your record." Jaune leveled a challenging gaze towards the hot-blooded soldier. "I would hate to think that I misjudged your abilities."

The tall soldier grunted as he fell back into place in the group. Jaune internally grinned at the action but he knew that this was not the end of the issue. He would keep an eye out on him and make a sound decision from there if he truly needed the soldier's abilities. Nothing could get you killed quicker if the person next to you didn't want to work with you in a battle.

Still seeing as how his squad consisted of more than a few Faunus, he hoped that nothing drastic had to be done to keep the peace. Jaune wanted a platoon of soldiers, not a group of children bickering amongst themselves. He pushed the subject to the back of his mind for the time being.

"Right, well as I was saying previously, you all have been chosen to test and field different weapons to see how they perform on the battlefield. If the results come back positive, then they may be issued to the rest of the military for further use. With that said there a few people here that you all should be aware of as they will watching your back in the ensuing fights to come." He gestured at the younger woman earlier who had stepped in for the bunny Faunus.

"This is Lieutenant Coco Adel, she will be in charge of providing and directing the tank platoon corps. Some soldiers under her command are Velvet Scarlatina, Fox Alistair, Yatsuhashi Daichi and Penelope Polendina." They all raised their hands as he called out their names. He continued on.

"Corporal Lie Ren is the lead squad medic, alongside Humphrey Banning and Haley Danso as well." The three men nodded.

Corporal Nora Valkyrie is apart of the explosives squad and will work alongside the tank corps to remove any obstacles or hindrances in our way. Wendy Cheslock, Rudolph Drake and Elianora Dupont are a part of this group as well." Nora who was fiddling with a grenade stopped long enough to wave before going back to her tinkering. Some people around her cautiously took a step away from her.

' _Breaking news, new platoon is formed only to die in briefing because of tampering with a live grenade…'_ Jaune internally sighed at what his subordinate was doing but decided it was best to leave her alone. He coughed lightly before continuing.

"Sergeants, Yang Xiao Long and Lynn O'Hara are experts when it comes to close quarter combat, I know many of you are no stranger to war, but sharing knowledge and experience is helpful to everyone." Yang cracked her knuckles and gave a challenging look around her as if asking for someone to test how skilled she was at fighting. No one meet her gaze.

"Sergeant Blake Belladonna and Corporal Sun Wukong are part of our advanced scout squads and Sergeant Ruby Rose is the lead sniper from our Marksmen squad. He clapped his hands together lightly. "Right, now with all that said could you please focus your attention to the board. Even though we've just been formed, Command is impatient and has already given us our first set of orders." Some muffled sighs could be heard coming from the group of soldiers as every single one of them were no strangers to plans created and executed last minute.

"Stop your belly aching, I know the what your all thinking right now, but we have our orders. Say hello to Hill 416, this pill of mud currently overlooks a wide angle of our allied lines and is capable of directing enemy artillery due to its elevated height. Intel suggests it's only lightly manned due to its status as an observatory rather than a defensive position as there are more than a few lines of enemy trenches between it and the frontlines." He gestured over to Coco and her crew.

"Lieutenant Adel will be leading the first phase of the assault with the Mark IV tanks and soften up any hardened enemy positions. Corporal Valkyrie, your squad will be going in and causing havoc in the enemy trenches with grenades, our main objective is not to capture the trenches as reinforcements will do that, but get past them and hit the hill behind. The rest of us will be providing support for the tanks so they won't be overrun and watching the backs of the grenadiers while they clear the area in front of us. This will be a major assault so on the off chance things don't go according to plan, rendezvous up with the tanks as best you can and retreat to friendly lines."

"We will be testing out the capabilities of the tank and its role in the infantry, and will also be testing out a new weapon developed quite recently. It's called a sub machine gun, designation MP-15, it has the capability of a machine gun but is able to be carried by a single person and fires small caliber rounds. Quite useful for close quarter combat which is what we will be engaging in. Unfortunately, we didn't receive enough to outfit everyone so we will also still be carrying some rifles into combat. After this battle we will be giving feedback and what could be improved or added to this weapon. With that said, Sergeant Belladonna has been briefed on the operation of the weapon and will teach you the basics of how the gun works. That's all from me, we move out in a few hours, I suggest you take this time to familiarize yourself with the equipment around you."

The group gathered in front of Jaune dispersed and a good amount of them started to talk to Blake about the new weapon.

"Well guess I should clean my rifle while I have the time." He sat down and started to clean.

* * *

A hail of bullets whizzed by Jaune as he heaved himself out of the protection of his trench and once again set foot in the muddy ground known as 'No Man's Land'. Raising his rifle to his shoulder he fired off a round before looking to the soldiers beside him who had followed him out of the trench.

"Take cover behind the tanks and push forward!" Not wanting to get shot and appreciating the cover, the soldiers around him lined up behind the lumbering metal beasts and slowly moved forward towards the Imperial lines. Occasionally one of them would lean out and fire their weapon before taking cover once again. Using this method of fighting, the Atelsians steadily made their way forward relatively safe from enemy gunfire. Of course the tanks only offered so much protection and a few causalities happened along the way.

Jaune racked the bolt forward on his rifle as he leaned out to fire his rifle. His shot was interrupted when a bullet grazed his upper arm and he hissed from the stinging pain it caused. Shaking off the injury, he took out another Imperial soldier as he walked towards the enemy lines. A machine gun opened fire and sprayed the area around Jaune forcing him to take cover from the blistering fire. A few of those rounds ricocheted off the side of the tank before moving on to other targets. He took that time to lean out and figure out where the fire had come from and located the machine gun nest spewing out its bullets towards the advancing Atlesian soldiers.

"Corporal Valkyrie on me! Target is thirty yards ahead of us to the right behind a small embankment of sandbags."

"On it boss!" Nora pulled the pin and prepared to throw the grenade.

"Cover fire!" Jaune and a few other soldiers opened fire on the machine gun nest. Nora drew her arm back before lobbing the small explosive into the air. It exploded a few seconds later destroying the gun emplacement. Seeing the result, Jaune heaved a mental sigh of relief before refocusing on the task at hand.

"We're approaching the enemy trenches, everyone prepare yourself!" Jaune shouldered his rifle and fired before turning towards a certain spunky female.

"Grenades out!" Nora grinned at the order and started to lob grenades into the Imperial trenches. The ensuing explosions and the screams of pain resonated in Jaune's mind, but he pushed the guilt aside as he jumped down into the enemy trenches. A severely wounded enemy soldier struggled to raise their weapon towards Jaune, but he shot them before moving on.

Seeing as how many of the Imperial soldiers were either killed or wounded with the grenades, Jaune found himself walking over many dead bodies. He pushed aside a flap that led to an underground room much like his own and immediately ducked when a rifle stock was swung his way. Not in the mood to hit them back, he dropped his rifle, drew his pistol and fired point blank into their face, making chunks of blood and bone splatter against his face, of which he wiped away as he picked up his rifle and made his back outside.

The area around him had also been cleared out of enemies and he signaled for his squad to follow him as they now were about to start the main assault on the hill in front of them. But seeing as how easy it was for them to take over the trenches, the hill itself should be fairly easy to capture and hold.

"Alright people reinforcements will secure these trenches, let's move up and take that hill!" Jaune and the rest of the group regrouped with the advancing tanks and started to make their way toward the imposing hill.

Bullets and grenades rained down on the advancing Atlesian soldiers, and Jaune found himself slip more than a few times up the fairly slippery muddy slope. An explosion went off near him and he saw an airborne Nora flying his way.

 _'Oh come on, why me!'_ The young woman smacked into his armored chest with a dull thud and he grunted when they tumbled to the mucky ground beneath them.

"Hey boss, what's going on!" Nora rolled off of his chest and offered a hand to the slightly winded man.

"Nothing at all Corporal, keep pushing forward and assist the others." He grabbed her hand and hefted himself up before once more making his way up the hill and shooting an enemy soldier in the shoulder. Nora on the other hand, rejoined the fray by blowing up an enemy foxhole. He shook his head at the young woman's actions as he pushed up the hill.

Unfortunately the hill was rather steep so the tanks were having a bit of a problem climbing the slope which meant the protection they had offered was now gone, but fortunately at this point, most of the Atlesian troops had jumped into the Imperial trenches and were now fighting out of open ground. Jaune followed closely behind the first soldiers who had jumped into the trenches and joined the fray. He immediately lost his grip on his weapon when someone pile-drived him in the side, not wanting to be taken off guard again he rolled away and stood up back up to face the threat.

He threw a right hook at the Imperial soldier who had tackled him, but they parried it and kicked him in the shin. Hissing from the sharp pain, Jaune grabbed a hold of the enemy's waist and now pushed them to the ground, he dug his thumbs into their eyes causing them to scream out in pain. Not wasting the opportunity, he stabbed them with Crocea Mors in the throat and twisted the blade before pulling it back out rather violently. Taking a quick glance around him he picked up his pistol that was laying on ground near him. A battle cry to his right alerted him to another Imperial soldier who was intent on skewering him with the bayonet attached to the end of their rifle.

 _'Can't I have just a moment to rest after that tumble!?'_ Having more than enough experience, Jaune flicked his wrist and sent Crocea Mors flying through the air until hit the soldier in the leg who stumbled from the knife in their thigh. He plugged them in the head effectively neutralizing the threat. Scrambling to his feet before having to deal with another enemy while on the ground he saw a familiar blonde blasting an Imperial away with her shotgun.

"Sergeant Xiao Long! Gather your men and push forward on the right side, I'll take some men and come up the left side!"

Yang gave him a thumbs up before reaching down to her ammo belt and loading a few more shotgun shells into her gun. "Come on you guys, you heard the man!" She racked a new shell into the chamber before leading her men down a trench-line. Jaune moved forward and grabbed a handful of soldiers before moving up the left trench path. Sweat started to drip off his brow from all the activity he had done so far, but that sweat ran cold when he rounded a corner and a machine gun crew pointing their gun right at him.

"Everyone get back!" But it was to late as the enemy crew opened fire on them. Some of the Atlesian soldiers were able to get off some shots before being hit by the hailstorm of bullets. Swift as a cat, a female Atlesian soldier dropped down from above the enemy and pounced upon her unsuspecting prey. The first person she landed on dampened her fall and startled the other two Imperials next her, she raised her pistol and fired two consecutive shots into their chests before she reached down to the person she had landed on and twisted their neck until a distinct cracking of bones could be lightly heard from the now dead Imperial soldier.

The raven haired woman looked over at Jaune and the few remaining Atlesians soldiers in his group and gave a small nod. "Lieutenant."

"Belladonna, nice timing there, thanks for the assist." Before anymore words were exchanged between the two, Banning came running up the trench and started to treat the wounded. Jaune left two soldiers to protect the wounded while Blake and him along with the remaining Atlesian soldiers pushing forwards towards the objective.

Fighting in a trench was not the hardest thing to do, but at the same time it was one of the biggest pains to deal with in battle, the confined spaces meant you could more easily take someone else out as there was not as many places to take cover in, but the same could also be said for yourself seeing as you faced the same dilemma. This was made abundantly clear to both Jaune and Blake when a retreating enemy soldier tossed a grenade behind them making everyone in the group dive for whatever cover they could find. Seeing that the act was futile, Jaune pumped his legs and grabbed a hold of a dead body on the ground before throwing it and himself over the live grenade.

"Grenade!" He braced for the impending explosion.

 ** _Kaboom!_**

Jaune felt himself go airborne as the pressure from the explosion threw him skyward. Of course the thing known as gravity pulled his body back down to the ground were he landed with a groan. While the dead body took the brunt of the blast, his chest armor took the rest of explosion, and the newly added dents to his armor proved it.

 _'First a flying Valkyrie and then an airborne trip via explosion, why me!?'_ He felt something cold touch his hand and upon looking up, saw that Blake was trying to pull him up. Shaking of the dizziness that came from the grenade he stood up and looked the young woman in the eyes. "Thanks."

She gave him a wordless nod before handing him his rifle. "You alright?" He nodded as he rolled his neck, "Yeah couldn't be better, lets go." After taking on and eliminating a few more retreating Imperial soldiers, Jaune raised his weapon only to lower it when Yang and her group came into view.

"Sergeant any problems on your end?" Yang shook her head. "Nope, they tucked tail and ran for the most part, you?"

She noticed his group was a few soldiers smaller. "Ran into a machine gun, took out a few members, Banning is taking care of them. But let's have this conversation later, we need to take this hill."

"Copy that, alright everyone move up!" The combined group of soldiers started to push up the remainder of the hill, looking back behind him, Jaune could see that the tanks were doing rather well all things considered and had been able to slowly but surely make their way up the hill and were now providing artillery and machine gun support to the rear of his group. Turning back around he raised his weapon and fired off a round at an exposed Imperial before loading in a new magazine.

"Push them back!"

"Right, right side!"

"Medic! We need a medic over here!"

The sounds of battle filled the air and the sounds of the living and the wounded carried out over the cold afternoon sky. But progress was made and soon enough Jaune and his group made it to the upper part of the hill and started to clear the area of any remaining enemies. The battle was soon winding down and only the occasional gunfire could be heard in the area.

Awhile later Jaune found himself sitting down tiredly onto a pile of ammo crates. He wiped the sweat and grime off of his face and looked at all of the destruction around him. Fortunately the destruction was mostly that of the enemy, the overall battle was a resounding success for the Atlesian side as it proved that tanks could provide much better artillery support as they were present on the battlefield and the use of sub machine guns, meant that the firepower of the heavy machine gun could now be portable.

His musings were interrupted when a raven haired female entered his view. "Lieutenant the area has been secured, also one of our smaller tanks got grazed in the battle and is now stuck in the mud down the hill." Jaune meet her gaze. "Where is it stuck?" She moved behind him and pointed. "You can see it from here." He walked over and followed were her finger was pointing and saw the small tank with one of its main treads busted from enemy fire.

"Send a squad down to see if they can help with the repairs of the vehicle." Blake nodded before leaving Jaune to carry out his order.

Meanwhile, at the location of the busted tank. Ruby found herself with a few Imperial soldiers bearing down on her position. Not letting that faze her, she raised the rifle to her shoulder and lined up a head in her scope before pulling the trigger. Their head exploded in a spray of blood as the body crumpled to the ground. She swept her scope to the right and saw a crouching enemy soldier, right as she squeezed the trigger the Imperial soldier stood up and instead of hitting their head, her bullet took a huge chunk of flesh and bone from the side of their waist.

When she first started out fighting, she saw all the horrific ways a bullet could mess up a human body and the memories plagued her mind for quite some time until she learned to cope with the horrors of war, but the scars still remained and every once in awhile the sight of a body being torn in half by her rifle made her feel queasy.

Having dispatched the enemy she turned around to see the new smaller tank bogged down in a rather deep pile of mud with a damaged tread. She hefted her rifle up and headed over too see if she could some how help the stuck tank driver out.

"The enemy's been taken care of, is there anything I can do to help?" The hatch in front of the tank was pushed open and Ruby saw a young woman covered in grease and oil step out of the drivers seat. "Salutations! I seem to have found myself in quite the predicament, many thanks for the offer to lend a hand!" Ruby remembered seeing the tank driver in the meeting before the battle. "Your name is Penelope right? I'm Ruby." She reached for a pair of shovels that were strapped to the side of the tank and handed one to the young woman.

"Indeed, you are correct, it is a pleasure to meet you Ruby!" The two of them started to dig at the mud around the tank tracks to clear the area around the damaged tread and were soon joined by a few other soldiers who offered to lend a hand with the digging out part. Once that was finished, Penny grabbed a small tool box from inside the drivers compartment and started to see how extensive the damage really was.

"The damage is not bad, I should be able to repair this quite quickly." Penny grabbed a wrench and went to work on the repairs.

* * *

Jaune walked down a trench and stopped everyone once in awhile to chat with the group of soldiers that were relaxing after the battle. By the time he had already cleaned all of his weapons, the sky had darkened as it was becoming night time, but that didn't matter to him as he was now just checking up on the status of everyone taking shelter on the captured hill. Most of the soldiers he meet were also going about cleaning their equipment with various pieces laying near them as they did so.

He saw Blake sitting down cleaning her weapon and meandered his way over to her before sitting down next to her. "What's your thoughts on the weapon Sergeant?"

She looked up from her cleaning briefly before going back to cleaning a bit of dirt off of the barrel, "Overall the weapon is adequate, the fire rate is much greater than that of our rifle's, although the round itself could be improved upon. There were cases where I had to put more than few rounds into an enemy soldier to take them down. Along those lines I feel that the internals of the weapon could also be made more reliable as it did jam on me a few times."

Jaune was a bit surprised by the amount of feedback from the rather silent woman but took it all into consideration for his report that he would be typing up later in the evening. "Well Sergeant thank you for the feedback I'll keep those into mind while I get more feedback from the others who used the weapon. On a different subject how was the book I gave you awhile back?"

The raven haired woman stopped cleaning and looked at Jaune with a glint in her eyes. "Yes, I was able to read a good amount of the book and I found it quite...enjoyable to read, thank you for letting me keep it." Unbeknownst to him, Blake had more than read a good amount of the book, in fact she had already read it more than a few times over. There were certain...mature scenes scattered throughout the story that she enjoyed reading, but the young man across from her didn't need to know that.

Jaune's face broke out into a smile upon hearing that the young woman enjoyed reading his book, but of course he wasn't about to tell her that he was the one that wrote the book. A man writing an adult fiction book was slightly embarrassing to admit to people, or at least to him it was. Putting that thought aside, he took the time to study the young woman closer. Her uniform was smeared with patches of grim and dirt just like the average soldier fighting in the front line. She was also still wearing the black bow he had seen her with the first time they had meet. Although this time it was speckled with spots of mud.

 _'There has to be a story behind that ribbon, considering she's still wearing in this hell hole. Guess I'll ask her.'_ He was about to vocalize his question but paused when he saw Yang jogging towards him shotgun in hand. She came up to him with a serious expression on her face.

"Sir, I was going through the underground officers rooms looking for any military information of importance and I found something I think you should check out." Jaune stood up and gestured behind her. "Belladonna if anything happens while I'm gone your in charge." He turned to Yang. "Show me what you found."

The two of them quickly made there way down a few trenches until they arrived in a walkway that was a bit more clean than the rest of the others."

 _'Why can't my walkway back in my trench be this nice, I'm envious.'_ Yang walked a few more feet before pointing at hole in the side of the trench.

"In there I found a relatively small room with what looked to be a shaft leading down to a underground tunnel. Since there's still some light coming from down there I think there may be people hiding down there, thought I'd inform you first before I went and fully investigated it."

Jaune walked over and crouched down to look down the shaft and saw a faint light indeed coming from below. "Alright, let's check this out, I'll go first and you take the rear and cover me, your shotgun may come in handy if there is anyone down there." He pulled out his pistol and climbed down the ladder that lead to the bottom. When he felt his boots hit ground once more he noticed that the air about him was stuffy if not a bit a warm from how much heat was being trapped as it couldn't escape to the surface that well. Sweeping the area revealed that there were a few desks and miscellaneous objects laying about the small room and he put his weapon away and waited for Yang to climb down before deciding to search further.

"Looks to me like and underground office of some sorts. Seeing as how this is fairly protected from explosions happening above, maybe they had important documents and the like stored down here. I'll check over in this area and you over there." He made his way to a desk and pulled open a drawer filled with papers, he started to go through them but found nothing of importance. Closing the drawer he opened another one and repeated the process until he had finished going through the desk and moved onto the next desk near him.

In the background he heard Yang also searching as she was a bit louder than him while doing so. But after a few minutes of coming up with squat he turned to Yang. "I didn't find anything of use, and seeing as you don't have any papers in your hands I doubt you did either." She shook her head confirming his assumption.

"Well let's go see where the rest of the tunnel pathways lead us." She grinned as a thought came to mind.

"Shell we get going? Get it? Cause shall and shell?" Jaune snorted at the pun and shook his head in amusement.

"Cute, come on." He pulled out his pistol before walking down the tunnel away from her.

Yang's face broke out into a smile as she followed behind him. She had found a person who at least tolerated her humor. And that meant the day had ended on a good note for her.

* * *

 **And there is the next long awaited chapter, if some parts seem awkward or a bit OOC I apologize for my writing skills. But that's my problem to deal with. Anyways thanks for reading!**


	12. As Above So Below

**Hahaha...so I know its only been a few days since the last chapter release, but I was in the mood so I wrote this one too before I move countries and lose internet for a little while, hope this holds you over until I get it back.**

 **Special thanks to 'Form One Lane' for some of the ideas of this chapter. And DragonManMax for being a great wall for bouncing ideas off of as well.**

 **(I do not own RWBY)**

* * *

 **The Soldier's Battleground**

 **ザー・ソールジュズ・バタルフィールド**

 **Chapter XII: As Above So Below**

Jaune leaned up against the tunnel wall before leaning out cautiously to peer around the corner into another tunnel that branched off the main tunnel Yang and he were traveling on. Seeing nothing, he breathed a sigh of relief before signaling to Yang that the coast was clear. Their search so far of the tunnel revealed very little. But then again the tunnel system itself was quite extensive and probably ran underneath most of the hill they had just captured.

He was about to discuss what to do next with Yang when the sound of something falling caught both of their attention. The two of them quietly made their way to where the sound had originated and saw that there was a small room with an Imperial soldier writing something quietly on the desk in front of them. Not wanting to rouse them, Jaune pointed at Yang and signaled for her to watch the door. He then pulled out Crocea Mors and stealthily made his over to the unawares person.

With a swift motion he covered the man's face and held the blade of his knife to their throat. "If you value your life then don't move a muscle." He hissed in to the person's ear. The enemy soldier nodded and slowly raised their hands above their head.

"Alright buddy I'm going to remove my hand from your mouth and if you even think of yelling for help I'll end you." Another small nod of compliance made him remove his hand.

"How many soldiers are down here?"

"I'm not telling you anything." The Imperial soldier whispered defiantly. Jaune pressed the knife a bit harder into their throat. "You'd had better tell me pal."

Yang who was protecting the door heard footsteps coming down one of the tunnels and turned towards Jaune to warn him.

"Fritz! Are you done writing your letter? I need to borrow your…." The Imperial soldier stopped in his tracks and raised his rifle in alarm when he meet a young Atlesian woman who pointed her shotgun at him. His gaze flicked over to his buddy who had a knife to his throat by another Atlesian soldier.

"Lower your weapon chump, before I blast a hole in you." Yang said with an edge to her voice. The tension in the room rose exponentially at the new development and everyone didn't dare move a muscle as to not startle the other party.

It was so quite that the sound of a pin dropping could have been heard, but the silence was broken when the Imperial soldier flicked off his safety on the rifle making Yang take an aggressive step forward from the action.

"Let Fritz go, or I will kill your partner." The knife against Fritz's throat tightened and a trickle of blood seeped onto the blade. "Not going to happen, lower your weapon before things get messy in here."

After a few tense moments the Imperial soldier took a deep breath in and lowered his weapon when all of a sudden.

"Intruders sighted!" Yang cursed underneath her breath and charged at the enemy, with any luck she could knock him out without having to fire her weapon which would surely cause the alarm to raise.

Seeing the young woman charging at him, the enemy soldier lifted his rifle and fired off a wild shot which struck her in the left shoulder. Grunting, she fired her shotgun and their world went black.

With the two shots being fired, the sound of other Imperials could be heard coming from down the tunnel and not wanting to be caught off guard, Jaune slit the throat of the Imperial he had in arms before dropping the body onto the ground gently.

"Let's get out of here." Jaune grabbed Yang and steadied her as she ground her teeth together from the shoulder wound that was inflicted upon her earlier. The two of them left the room and when they rounded a corner they came face to face with a group of Imperial soldiers who all raised their weapons at them.

All hell broke loose underground.

* * *

Blake finished wiping away the last of the grime from her weapon before she methodically and carefully started to put it back together. By the time she had finished with the cleaning the sky had completely darkened and she was working by the soft light of a lamp by her side. She could see just fine in the dark, but not only was it necessary to keep up appearance that she was human, having to use her night vision put a bit of stress on her eyesight if she used it for to long.

A small rustling from behind caused her acute sense of hearing to make her ears perk up from the sounds, and she set down the submachine gun lightly before drawing her pistol and making her way over to the side of the trench. Taking a quick glance of the surrounding area, the only thing she saw was the two females still working on repairing the busted tank from the previous battle with a few lamps around them to light up the work area.

Not noticing anything suspicious she dismissed the sounds she heard as the two of them and walked back over to her partially assembled weapon and once again started to put it back together, only to stop once more as she heard the sounds again but coming from the other side of the hill. Wanting to find out who or what was making that sound she got back up and walked silently and let her night vision take control to guide her walk in the darkness.

Guards had been set up along the perimeter to prevent any surprise attacks from the enemy, but seeing as no had raised the alarm, perhaps it was just an animal that was the sounds, or so she hoped. Walking for a few more yards, she came upon a guard who was leaning heavily against his rifle as they stared out at the wasteland. Seeing as she didn't have a light with her she decided to make her presence known as to not completely spook the guard.

"Morgan, status report." She whispered and waited for them to acknowledge her presence only to see them remain leaning on their rifle. "Soldier if you've fallen asleep on guard duty…" Taking a few steps forward she reached out and shook them on the shoulder only for them to slump down to the ground. Alarm bells started ringing her head at this and she knelt down quickly only to discover after turning the body over that there was a crossbow bolt lodged in their chest.

Her senses went on full alert and she scanned the area to see if she could the attacker. The rustling she had heard earlier became much louder in volume and just as she saw the glint of weapons down the hill.

All hell broke loose above.

* * *

Jaune shoved Yang to ground just as the Imperial soldiers opened fire on them. A round slammed into his chest forcing the air out of his lungs as he stumbled to the ground from the impact. The sound of a shotgun going off and the screams of wounded made him come to his senses and he looked over too see that Yang had fired her weapon at the enemy despite her wound.

Because of the fairly narrow passage, the blast had hit every Imperial soldier in some way and they were writhing on the ground from their wounds. He sat up with a grunt and fired his pistol, quickly killing all of them.

"You alright?" He loaded a fresh clip into his pistol.

"Next time you decide to push a lady to the ground, give her some warning." Yang gave him a smirk, one he just shook his head at.

"What about you? You took a round to the chest." Her tone had taken on a hint of concern. Standing, he offered a hand to help her up. "I feel like a bullet hit me in the chest. Come on let's get out of here."

The two of them quickly made their way back to where they had originally entered the tunnel, but gone was the element of stealth and soon enough they were engaged against the enemy.

"Arc! Two on the left!" Yang yelled as she saw a few Imperials coming down a tunnel to the side of them. He twisted his body and fired off a hail of bullets, dropping the two enemy soldiers. He refocused his vision up front and popped off another round before he had to reload.

"Xiao Long we've got more incoming!" Sure enough an Imperial rounded the corner, only to receive a face full of shotgun lead to their face. She pumped her shotgun after the shot and looked over to see that Jaune had finished reloading.

"Move, I'll cover you!" He yelled as he aimed down his sights waiting for a target to appear. She nodded before sweeping the area in front of her as Jaune brought up the rear.

A bullet whizzed by them and shattered a light which peppered the two of them with a few glass shards. Not having time to deal with the wounds the two of them picked up their pace and tried their best to get back to the room they had originated in.

' _I can't believe we managed to stir the hornets' nest, what shitty luck charm did I buy to cause this?'_

A few more Imperial soldiers opened fire on him and he cursed as a few of the bullets came a bit too close for comfort. Firing his weapon more to keep their heads down rather than to kill them he back peddled and dropped to the ground as Yang told him to. The promise of hot lead made the advancing Imperials scatter as she fired her weapon down the tunnel.

"Move it Arc!" Yang turned and Jaune scrambled to follow behind her while the window was open. They were about to cross an opening were the tunnel made a T, only to be forced back by a storm of bullets. Jaune leaned out and blind fired his pistol in hopes of suppressing the enemy, which it did work but only for a brief moment. Jaune leaned back from the edge and checked his clip to see how many rounds were left.

The situation was not looking to good and they needed to get back to the surface to warn the others. Fortunately for the two of them, an idea crossed Yang's mind and she couldn't help but smile at the stupidity of it. She tapped Jaune on the shoulder and told him the plan. He just looked at her and readied himself. Yang on the other hand, stepped back a few feet before running forward.

"Now!" She yelled as she dropped to the ground and started too slid on the dirt. Jaune leaned back out and started to pop off shots down the hallway. With the enemy's attention on him, they were not expecting for her to slid across the opening and fire her shotgun as she slid to the other side. Using the new opening, Jaune dove across the opening and bumped into Yang who was reloading a shell into her weapon.

Having gotten past the danger for the present, they finally made their way back to the room they had started in and Jaune signaled for her to start up the ladder as he watched the area. She started up the ladder, only to feel the ground around her shake violently and looked up to see a pile of dirt falling down the exit shaft…

* * *

The hill lite up with explosions as the enemy artillery bombardment blanketed the area. The sleeping Atlesians were caught off guard and many of them scrambled to gather their equipment and seek shelter from the hell storm. Some were not as fortunate as a few of them were struck by the shrapnel flying in the air and collapsed to the ground severely wounded or dead. Blake dove for cover as a shell blew up near her showering her body in mud and filth.

Keeping her head low, she quickly made her way down a trench towards were the Lieutenant had gone, only to find the area torn to shreds with shell holes pocketing the area. There was no sign of the Lieutenant, hoping that he survived the blasts, she decided to take charge until he returned. Making her way to were the tanks had been parked, they had only attacked the hill with half a dozen of them. Fortunately none of them had been destroyed in the last conflict, unfortunately she saw that two of them were either under maintenance or repair from the previous battle. Leaving only four of them operational.

"Lieutenant Adel! Gather your men and prepare for a ground attack from the enemy!" Blake yelled at the young woman who nodded wordlessly. She felt her face heat up as an explosion destroyed a nearby tank. Sadly that was one of the operational tanks and now they only had three left. The sounds of screaming could be heard coming from within and a body stumbled out of the wreckage engulfed in fire.

Before Blake could take a step forward, a figure brushed past her roughly and she noticed that it was Banning, one of the medics that had passed her. The young man leaned down and started to roll the figure on the ground in an attempt to extinguish the flames on their body.

Just as he succeeded, a shell came whistling in and exploded, vaporizing Banning and the body beside him. Blake felt the urge to puke from the sight but forced the vomit back down her throat. She still had a job to do despite what she just witnessed, gathering her wits, she ran away from the tank wreckage to where she had left her submachine gun.

By now the shelling had ceased, and flares had been fired into the air, illuminating the surrounding area. Blake stumbled into the area where she had been her weapon back together and scrambled to finish putting the submachine gun. With gunfire now filling the air, she loaded a magazine into the gun and rushed towards the fighting.

Imperial soldiers were now charging up the hill and Blake hastily organized the soldiers around her as they tried their best to repel the enemy. She felt her weapon kicking her shoulder as she opened fire on a group of Imperial soldiers that were approaching her position.

A line of enemy soldiers suddenly stood up from cover and threw a bunch of grenades into the Atlesian trenches.

"Everyone down now!" Multiple explosions went off, and the wailing of the wounded now filled the air. Blake stood back up and saw an Imperial charge at her, she raised her weapon and pulled the trigger, only to hear a click, she twisted the gun and saw that mud had gotten into the receiver and had jammed it.

By now the Imperial lunged at her and she felt herself getting tackled to the ground. A blow to the head made her vision swim, but that didn't stop her from wrapping her legs around them and turning her body so that they were now underneath her. She reached for her knife and quickly stabbed them before they could get out from underneath her.

Shoving the dead body off of her she saw the sky above her light up in flames as bottles with burning cloth more commonly known as Molotov's fill her vision. Even though they were meant for the Atlesians, with it being dark and with each side being so close to each other. Both Atlesian and Imperial soldier alike found themselves rolling on the ground, trying to put themselves out.

An Atlesian tank rolled into view and started to open fire, but in an effort to not hit their own men they only fired at advancing Imperial soldiers and not the one's engaging with their fellow soldier. Someone threw one of the Molotov's and it shattered against the side of the tank harmlessly, but still lite the area around it on fire.

Seeing this as an opening, an Imperial soldier climbed up on top of the tank and opened the roof hatch before tossing a grenade inside. A muffled explosion inside the tank and the ceasing of machine gun fire more than likely meant the crew inside was killed from the grenade.

Blake felt her mind reeling from the events happening around her and felt herself trip on a corpse lying beneath her. Taking out her sidearm she shot an Imperial who was about to stab an Atlesian soldier before surveying the area in order to try and find a way to restore some sense of order.

Her answer came in the form of the other two Atlesian tanks coming over the ridge and opening fire on the Imperials. The support came just in time as major damage had already been inflicted on the Atlesian lines.

With renewed resolve the remaining Atlesian soldiers fought against the Imperials and started to push them back down the hill, but were stopped when the sound of multiple whistles could be heard coming from down the hill. Blake scanned the area and saw a flare gun lying on the ground next to a dead soldier. She picked it up and fired it in the direction from where the whistles had come from and saw a new wave of enemy soldiers charging up the hill. Even with the help of the tanks, there was no way they were going to be able to repeal the next wave.

"Everyone fall back! Incoming wave of fresh troops, retreat to the tanks!" The Atlesian soldiers started to stumble and in some cases crawl their way towards the tanks. Another artillery strike teared into the disarrayed Atlesians and the screams of the wounded were muffled by the dead on top of them. It had become a bloodbath.

* * *

Yang fell down with a cry as dirt started to bury her body, she started to cough as some of it landed in her mouth but was saved when she felt an a pair of arms pull her out of the way.

"I got you, you alright?" She looked up to see Jaune looking down at her with a worried expression.

"Peachy, but we'll have to find another way out, this one's blocked." She gestured to the collapsed exit. The ceiling above them shuddered from explosions happening above them and Jaune couldn't help but worry about what was going on above.

"But we just got done with escaping the party, and now you want to go back?" Jaune's voice started to drip with sarcasm. She smirked and pointed to were they had just come from a few moments ago.

"Lead the way boss!" He groaned as he pulled her up.

"First rounds on you when we get out of here."

"Deal, I know a bar called 'Juniors' we can go too."

* * *

Even though trying to keep up with the whirlwind that was Penny was tough, Ruby did find herself enjoying her time conversing with the upbeat woman. Along those same lines, she did not find herself enjoying the bombardment and gunfire that was coming from the hill in front of her. Griping her rifle she wanted to go and join the fight, but that would mean leaving Penny almost defenseless if she left. Not knowing quite what to do she turned towards her friend? Colleague? for an answer.

"Penny I need to go help them, do you think you can handle yourself here?" The young woman tilted her head at the question. "If you are referring too my ability if I can fight or not." She climbed into the tank's driver seat and tried to start the engine. It spluttered a few times before roaring to life. She smiled at Ruby. "I am combat ready!" Ruby looked at the beaming young woman and shrugged before she quickly clamored onto the back of the tank. Getting into position, she placed her rifle on the top of the turret and braced herself for when she had to fire her rifle.

"Ruby there is a hatch located on the back of the turret, please open it." A muffled voice came from within the tank and she glanced down to see that there was indeed a hatch right in front of her. When she opened it up she saw the back of Penny's head. "Alright it's open, why did you want it open?" Without turning her head, Penny answered Ruby's question. "I need you to spot targets for me." The statement made sense and Ruby just mentally shrugged before readjusting to aim down her rifle.

"We're moving out!" The tank's engine revved loudly for a moment before the small tank started to roll slowly up the hill. The sounds of battle were getting more intense and Ruby gripped her rifle handle for the coming conflict. Just as they were about to go over the top of the hill an Atlesian tank came rumbling over the top with the front of it burning and spouting smoke. Bloodied and beaten allied soldiers were following right behind the tank and Ruby couldn't help but notice that this was a full on retreat. What had happened to them that they were in full retreat?

"Contact! We've got friendly forces retreating over the hill!" Ruby informed Penny who gave an affirmative sound. Followed closely behind the Atlesians were the advancing Imperials right on their tails. Ruby lined up a shot and let loose a round. Her targets head exploded and crumpled to the ground. Clamoring sounds beneath her made her look down to see Penny loading a round into the barrel.

"Danger close! Target sixty yards, fire!" She relayed her findings to Penny who adjusted the sights to find the target. "Firing!"

The tank round flew out of the barrel and exploded into the group of Imperial soldiers that had come over the hill. Ruby shifted to the right quickly as Penny flung the expended shell over her shoulder out the back of the turret. At this point though the situation was dire as more enemy soldiers flooded over the hill. Doing her best to help, Ruby fired into the mass, trying to take out officers or anyone of importance. An explosion marked the end of one of the two remaining tanks as it took a direct hit from an artillery round.

A raven haired female jogged up to Ruby's location and looked up at her. "Rose glad to see your alright, but you need to get this tank out of here now." She relayed the message to Penny who gave a thumbs up at the order. They started to back up firing as they did so into the Imperial lines.

* * *

Blake swung her knife at the enemy and made contact with their thigh. Gripping the handle tightly she stabbed them in their left ear before removing the blade and firing her pistol at another Imperial soldier. The line between the retreating Atlesians and the advancing Imperials was blurred and weapons were fired point blank into each others faces, clubs were swung and the dying lay moaning on the ground.

What had been a resounding victory for the Atlesian side, now had turned into a struggle for survival. The surviving soldiers frantically scrambled into the trenches at the bottom of the hill and took up positions against the incoming enemy. Blake found a rifle abandoned on the ground and upon a quick inspection saw that it was in working order. Scouring ammo from a dead soldier next to her she reloaded the weapon and raised it to her shoulder. The last surviving tank was lumbering its way back and almost made it back to friendly lines until a glancing round destroyed its right tread making it halt in the mud.

"We've got a tank down, cover me I'm going to check for survivors." Blake ran the short distance to the steel beast and slammed the buttstock against the door a few times.

"You guy's alright in there?" Some cursing could be heard coming from inside and a brief moment later the door opened to reveal a sweaty Coco with a tired expression on her face. "Glad to see a friendly face, some of my crew is injured I need you help getting them out of here." Blake ducked her head and entered the tank and saw a pipe spraying oil and a few lines leaking what looked to fuel.

A bunny Faunus was trying her best to repair the damages but finally kicked the engine in frustration. "Bullocks! Coco this engines gone I can't repair it with the tools I have on me." The Lieutenant sighed and walked over to the distressed young Faunus and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.

The Lieutenant sighed and walked over to the distressed young Faunus and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "It's okay Vel you did your best."

Coco turned her attention to Blake. "I need you to provide cover while Velvet takes Fox here to the trenches, got a busted leg from an explosion." She nodded and made her way over to one of the machine gun turrets and started to open fire on the enemy.

Velvet walked over to the injured man and threw one of his arms over her shoulder. "Let's get you out of here." The two of them made their way out of the tank and towards the safety of the trench line.

She craned her head backwards and saw Coco aiding another one of their crew members. Turning her head forward once again she helped the young man into the trench before turning around to see that Coco what right behind her with the other rather tall man.

"Belladonna we're clear, get out of there!" Coco yelled behind her as she too made it to the protection of the trench. The machine gun fired a few more bursts before it went silent and Blake's body appeared, exiting the tank as she started to make a mad dash for them.

Enemy gunfire sprayed the area around her and she heard the screeching of a bullet hitting something metal and something shoving her to the ground. Rolling over from the unknown force, Blake looked down at her belt and saw that her bayonet was bent out of shape and was probably the cause of the sound and the push, it saved her from a serious injury. Stumbling back to her feet she started to make the final stretch to the safety of the trench when another bullet flew towards her and struck her leg, making her go down with a cry of pain.

Coco upon seeing the go down from enemy fire, was about to go aid the injured woman when an explosion happened next her and she saw a dust cloud coming from a hole in the side of the trench, a tense beat later a dirt streaked Jaune and Yang crawled out of the opening and made eye contact with Coco.

"How's the situation going Adel?" Jaune was curious why the tank woman was not driving in her tank, but seeing her so far from their original position and without her tank, along with the Imperials charging down the hill, he knew that they had lost the hill to the enemy. He also saw an injured Blake struggling to crawl her way back to the trench. Without knowing what overtook him he stepped out of the relative safety of the tank and ran over to the injured young woman.

Bullets threw dirt and mud all around him and more than a few of them whistled by his face, but his thoughts were elsewhere as he felt a need to help the young woman.

"Belladonna where are you hit?" The woman hissed as she gripped her leg. "T-they hit my leg." Jaune crouched down and hefted her up on his shoulder. "I'm getting you out of here, hold on." He briskly started to make his way back, until a round struck his back making him stumble and ultimately drop Blake from his shoulder. The two of them fell to the muddy ground and she hissed from the impact of the drop.

"I'm sorry, you alright?" Jaune glanced over at Blake who nodded, his gaze narrowed and he turned his attention to the enemy. A bullet impacted against his chest, but instead of falling to the ground, he stood up shakily and fired his weapon at the enemy. Another bullet struck him and he flinched from the hit but shrugged it off and kept firing his weapon at the enemy.

"Get out of here, I'll cover you." Jaune looked at Blake with an expression of determination, the fire in his eyes briefly mesmerized her, but the moment was broken when once more he was struck by an enemy round. This time he did stumble but was able to remain upright. "GO! That's an order!" Blake shook her head vehemently. 'No Lieutenant, we go together."

He gazed at her for a fraction of a second before sighing. "Have it your way." The two of them pointed their weapons at the approaching enemy...

* * *

 **Uh yeah, so this is the end of this chapter, I hope you enjoyed my sorry ass attempt at trying to switch between two different scenes and characters. Never done anything like this before so if you like it then let me know as I did find it slightly easier to write this way. Or if you don't and prefer less scene skipping I'm fine with that too.**

 **Cheers!**


	13. Meeting Friends New and Old

**Well first off I wanted to thank everyone who has been following my story, I'm glad you all enjoy reading my rendition of the RWBY cast. On that note, I've put the character info for most of the RWBY cast on my profile page. It has things like what weapon's they carry, to the equipment they use. I will be expanding upon on it as the story progresses and new things are revealed.**

 **Review Time!**

 **DragonManMax: _Haha! Jaune appreciating Yang's humour basically guarantees that he gets in her good books!-_** **You know it!**

 **Jaune-R: _Great chapter as always. I don't know why, but I sense a protective scene coming on between Jaune and Blake, making her admiration of him become noticeable to her.. But I guess that's just me._**

 ** _I expected nothing less. Wonderful stuff and I gotta say, that last bit was quite perfect to be honest. I can't wait for the next chapter.-_ I hope I did your protective scene justice, I'm glad you thought it was quite perfect, means alot to me!**

 **Jkdelta38: _Excellent chapter. I like how the imperials pushed them back. Taking the enemy line is one thing, holding it is another._ -Indeed it is, which is why I thought it would be fairly realistic for the main cast to not win every battle thrown at them.**

 **Dr Nafario: _I feel like adding the "trench raider" elite kit from battlefield would make an interesting addition-_ Hmm well for the most part Nora and Ren meet that requirement. She carries a club, frag grenades along with a grenade launcher. Ren carries a revolver with medical supplies. All the characters have gas masks I just really haven't touched to much on the subject. **

**Huge thanks to DragonManMax for coming up with a significant part of this and the next chapters plot.**

 **(I do not own RWBY)**

* * *

 **The Soldier's Battleground**

 **ザー・ソールジュズ・バタルフィールド**

 **Chapter XIII: Meeting Friends New and Old**

After the devastating retreat from the hill, Jaune and the remaining Atlesian soldiers were able to hold the enemy from retaking the captured trenches located at the bottom of the hill, this was not without massive causalities inflicted upon both sides.

While the hill was the primary objective, the Atlesians forces attacked a wide stretch of Imperial trench lines in an effort to break through. Over sixty experimental tanks took part in the battle, but less than two dozen remained after the conflict, and more than a few battalions were almost completely wiped out. They may have been able to hold their ground, but with the steep price they had to pay, some found the battle a pyrrhic victory at best.

Not wanting to bring disgrace upon the military, the Atlesian government once again modified the truth and released to the public that a massive assault had taken place with minimal losses and enemy ground had been captured.

Having been in command of the soldiers that lead the charge, Ozpin was praised for pushing back the enemy and leading the Atlesian forces to victory. Jaune was offered a promotion for his acts of valor, but knowing he didn't deserve the rank, he politely declined.

Wanting to award him in some way, Jaune and his platoon were given some time off from the frontlines and were officially invited to a social event as guests…

* * *

Jaune took a small sip from the glass cup in his hands and sighed softly when he noticed the glass was empty, motioning to the bartender for a refill he looked down at his watch and took note of how his contact was running a bit late.

The bartender made their way over to him making him put his thoughts on hold to accept the refill. Taking a sip, his face took on a frown as he thought back on the events that had happened recently, and how the government was handling it.

"What's wrong with the drink pal?" He looked up at the bartender and took note of their name before answering.

"No Hei Xiong? The drink is fine." The man grunted at his attempt to pronounce the unfamiliar name.

"Call me Junior, the locals around here call me by that name." Jaune nodded and put a few coins on the counter to pay for the drink. "Right, Junior it is." The bartender grabbed the payment before walking away to tend to another customer. Once again leaving Jaune to himself and his inner thoughts.

The sound of a door opening and the bell chiming announced a new arrival to the bar and Jaune looked over to see if it was the person he was meeting. Making eye contact with the individual, he sighed before going back to his drink when it wasn't who he hoped it was. A few moments later, the person walked up to the bar and sat down right next to Jaune.

"Something on your mind kid?" From his peripheral vision, he could see the man looking away from him towards one of the bar's walls. "Why do you ask?" The man shifted in his seat before pulling out a small flask from one of his pockets. Jaune raised an eyebrow at the act as this was a bar and bringing in your own drink was usually frowned upon.

"You looked at me with such a hopeful expression on your face and then sighed, either we've had a disagreement in the past or I'm not who you were expecting." Jaune shook his head and took a drink from his glass. "The latter, sorry for the misunderstanding."

The older man still didn't turn to Jaune and gazed at a spot on the wall adjacent to him. "No problem, though if you want an ear to listen to your troubles, I'll be over there." The older man stood up and made his over to a more secluded part of the bar where a bit more privacy was available. Jaune pondered the offer momentarily before deciding to follow the man over. Sitting down at the table, he swirled the liquid in his glass as he stared at it with an unfocussed gaze.

"When this war first started, I thought that this was my big chance to go on an adventure and see the world outside of my hometown. My grandfather had been in the military and my grandmother had told me growing up of his grand adventures while he had served. So when this war broke up I thought I could join up and experience what my grandfather had gone through."

A humorless snort left Jaune's mouth, "I had joined looking for adventure, and instead I found death and destruction. I sometimes wonder if I'm cut out for this, I know it's my job to inspire those around me, but I'm just as scared as they are when I go first over wall to lead them into battle." Silence reigned in the air after his statement and was finally broken when the older man spoke.

"Well your still here, which means you've survived this long into the war. It may not be an adventure in the traditional sense, but you must have meet people along the way that you would never had if you had stayed in your hometown."

Jaune looked up from his drink towards the ceiling and reminisced all the characters he meet while he had served. From the spunky Nora, to the calm Ren. The stoic Glynda and the coffee loving Ozpin. To the recent enigmatic Blake and the outgoing Yang.

Every single one of them he wouldn't have been able to meet if he had stayed home. So perhaps the war wasn't a complete loss.

"Tell me, if one of the soldiers you know was in trouble what would you do?"

Jaune shifted his gaze over to the older man. "I refuse to have someone needlessly die under my command. They are like my second family and I would do anything in my power to help them and keep them safe."

"Everyone can't help but have some fear in their hearts when they go into battle. You said you're just as scared as the rest of them, and yet you go first to lead. No one is born cut out for war, it's something you must learn through experience. If you keep doing what you've told me in the future, then you're a leader any soldier will want to follow into battle."

Jaune smiled at the words of encouragement from the older man. "Thanks for the advice, I needed to hear it." The older man waved his flask in the air. "Sure kid, anytime."

Before the conversation could continue between the two of them, a pretty waitress came over and set down a drink in front of the older man.

"Uh I didn't…" The two of them looked at the young woman who grabbed the tray in her hands and gestured with her head. "From the man upstairs, said you wouldn't mind bottom shelf." The older man looked up behind Jaune and his facial expression turned neutral upon seeing whoever bought him the drink. Respecting his privacy as the man did his, Jaune didn't turn around to see who they were looking at, if anything it was probably the person they came to meet originally before diverting their time to listen to his insecurity.

"Thanks."

"But I went ahead and gave you top." She winked. "Lucky you." The waitress gave a coy smile and walked away from the two of them, with the older man watching her behind with a smirk on his face.

Jaune just raised an eyebrow at the man who stopped their gazing and gave him a look. "What?" He shook his head with mirth filling his voice. "No it's nothing." The man shrugged before pushing his chair back. "Well I should go and thank the person who bought me this drink, stay safe kid." The two of them shared a handshake before Jaune found himself alone once again.

Fortunately he didn't have to wait for long as the person he was waiting on finally walked through the door. He gestured with his hand to get their attention and upon seeing him, made their way over.

"Miss Neo if you don't mind me asking, what took you so long?" The young woman gazed at him with a blank expression before pulling out her notepad and writing something on it.

" **Shopping."**

"Shopping? For what? You were the one who asked to meet me here, not to be rude, but couldn't you have waited till afterwards to go shopping?"

" **Non-issue, Torchwich wanted a status update on the weapons you used in your last battle."**

Jaune mentally shrugged at her pushing aside his question so she could ask her own to him. Reaching down he pulled out a folder with the feedback he had collected from soldiers about the MP-15. Neo took the folder and perused the content inside briefly before putting the papers back inside.

" **How's the armor doing?"**

Jaune nervously chuckled. "Uh yeah about that."

Meanwhile, after the older man had left the table, he had made his way up the stairs and saw the person who had bought his drink earlier. Making his way over, he sat down and placed the cup on the table before looking at them.

"Thanks for the drink Ozpin." He gestured at the coffee cup in their hands. "You do know this is a bar and not a coffee shop right?"

"My dear Qrow, coffee is the only drink man should ever have." Qrow sighed at the coffee crazy man.

"So, what is it you need me that required me to leave the young man down there instead of coming down yourself?"

Ozpin regarded the young man that Qrow was gesturing at. "What are your thoughts on the boy?"

"He seems like a good kid, I hope he doesn't get killed in this bloody war."

"Indeed, that would be most regrettable. That boy's name is Jaune Arc, and he serves under my command." Upon hearing the kid's last name, Qrow's face turned into shocked expression briefly before he recovered and grinned.

"Arc eh? He wouldn't be related to the Arc I'm thinking about now would he?" Qrow looked down at the kid and saw him conversing with a young woman who was for some reason writing her responses on a notepad. A few moments later, he pulled out a severely dented piece of chest armor and showed it to the young woman who leaned over from her seat and smacked him upside the back of his head.

Ozpin took a sip of his coffee as he too witnessed the rather amusing scene down below unfold. "His grandson actually."

Qrow returned his attention to Ozpin briefly before refocusing on the kid below. "Well then, it seems that my nieces are in good hands."

The two of them continued to observe Jaune who started to apologize profusely to the silent young woman.

* * *

Blake grumbled to herself as she tried to snap the clasp of her necklace behind her neck. A knock on the door made her pause before going back at the pesky necklace.

"Come in, the doors unlocked." A soft click and the clinking of shoes signaled to Blake the person had entered.

"Sergeant it's almost time to go." She recognized the voice and turned around to answer.

Jaune walked into the room and stopped in his tracks when he noticed how Blake looked like. She was wearing a dark purple, flapper dress that went down to her knees. White gloves that stopped right above her elbows and her signature ribbon on her head completed her ensemble and he was momentarily taken aback by how beautiful she looked, averting his eyes so as to not stare, he took a few steps forward and gestured to her neck.

"You uh, you need help with the necklace?" She turned away from him and faced towards the mirror that was now in front of her. Lifting her hair out of the way, taking that as a yes, he stepped forward to help her.

He grabbed the small piece of jewelry and carefully clipped the clasps together before looking at her reflection in the mirror. "There all done." Jaune could faintly smell the perfume she had on her and thought that she smelled nice. Blake on the other hand, felt his breath softly hitting the back of her neck and she meet his gaze in the mirror. The two of them took note of each others presence as they studied each other. Jaune cleared his throat and took a step back a few moments later.

Seeing this, she turned around and face him directly and regarded him briefly before tilting her head. "Some of your medals are crooked." He dropped his gaze down to his chest and tried to see which one's she was referring too. Blake walked forward and started to adjust them properly. "You look sharp in your uniform." She said quietly as she finished up on the last medal. He cleared his throat once again and tried to answer her back. "Same to you, I-I mean not your uniform but your dress. You look beautiful in your dress." She smiled softly and gentle laid a hand on his chest. "Thank you."

The moment between the two of them was broken when they heard Nora coming down the hall to the room. The spunky young woman skipped her way into the room oblivious to what had just transpired.

"Hey boss looking spiffy! Belladonna your dress is so beautiful! Can I feel the fabric, it looks so soft!" Ren entered the room and put a hand on the young woman's shoulder. "Not now Nora, we all need to get going." He turned to the two other people in the room and regarded them for a moment before gesturing to the door.

"Right, let's get going, can't keep the rich and snobby waiting now can we?" Blake elbowed him in the side. "Behave." He grinned. "Ye's ma'am."

* * *

The four of them had made their way out of the room and were joined by the rest of the platoon. After a few minutes of walking they had found that the hallway around them started to fill with more people and soon they found themselves in what looked to be a ballroom of sorts. The group slowly started to break up after Nora decided to literally grab Ren by the collar to go check out the fruit punch she sighted.

Jaune soon found himself standing all alone observing the crowd around him, a light tap on his shoulder made him turn his attention to the person who wanted his attention.

"What? I didn't know you would be here Neo." She stuck her tongue out at him as she pulled out her ever present notepad.

 **"I did tell you I was going shopping."**

"Ah gotcha, well you look very nice in your dress." Neo nodded before gesturing to him towards a table filled all sorts of foods and desserts.

She gave him a pointed stare. **"Ice cream. Now."**

He raised an eyebrow at her writing. "And why should I go ALL the way over to the dessert area to get you...OW! Why'd you kick me?!" He rubbed his now sore shin. **"You will speak when spoken to maggot. And I don't talk so shut up and obey my order."** A smirk made its way on her face. **"Or bad things may happen if you don't get me my ice cream."** He snorted. "What could possible go wrong if I don't get you your ice cream?"

She started to raise her leg again and not wanting to receive another one of her kicks, he held his hands up in surender. "Yeah, yeah I got you, I'll be back soon with your ice cream your highness."

He shook his head at the short woman and started to make his way over to the dessert table, on his way there, he saw a rather attractive female standing to the side of the room all by herself. She was wearing a red sleeveless red cocktail dress that stopped just above the ankle. Something about the female struck his memory and he was almost positive he had meet her before in his life.

Seeing how his platoon left him and then Neo ordering him around like her underling, he decided to go over and talk to the woman and to try and figure out if his hunch was right. As he made his way over, he made eye contact with her very striking green eyes who regarded him with a neutral look in them.

"Good evening, my name is Jaune Arc, pardon me as you've probably heard this many times before, but have we meet?"

She gave him a polite smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Good evening, I'm Pyrrha Nikos its a pleasure to meet you Mr. Arc was it?"

"Yes your right, now please correct me if I'm wrong, but you wouldn't happen to be the young woman I meet a few months back that was having trouble finding a restaurant?" She gave him a slightly confused look which made him sigh. "I guess not, I'm sorry for taking your time."

He started to walk away when the red headed woman cleared her throat. "Would you be the same man who I sparred with and lost too after I showcased some new weapons?" He stopped in his tracks and looked at the young woman's face again. "Yes that was me, although if I remember correctly that spar could have easily gone in your favor, so I think its more of a tie."

Pyrrha's smile turned a little less stiff and small blush dusted her cheeks. "No I lost fair and square in that match, honestly it's been such a long time since I had such a skilled opponent, we'll have to spar again if time affords it." Jaune turned around and extended his hand out to her. "I look forward to it Ms. Nikos." They shook each others hands with a challenging gaze sparking between the two.

"So what have you been up too since we went our separate ways?" He asked polity.

"Well after we said our farewells, I went on to promote the new weapons in a few more locations and participated in a few sparring tournaments. Then later on I was recruited by the Schnee family for my abilities and I am now employed as a bodyguard."

Jaune smiled. "Well I've only sparred with you once, but from what I remember of the spar, I can see why they wanted you as a bodyguard, your hand to hand is quite formidable."

 _'I wonder who would win in a no rule fight between Blake and her, I bet it would be quite a cat fight for sure.'_ Jaune didn't decide to vocalize the amusing thought that crossed his mind.

"...I considered turning down the offer and joining the military to do my part in serving my country, what do you think? Should have turned down the offer?"

He tuned back into the conversation and only heard the tail end of the question. The horrific sights he had been exposed to since the beginning of the war, and the numerous ways a human body could be mutilated in battle did a number on his mental state. So seeing as how she had a fairly safe job by being a bodyguard and not privy to the horrors of war. He knew his answer.

"No I think you made the correct choice by being employed by the Schnee's, I mean you are doing your part in aiding the war by protecting one of the companies that supplies our troops with weapons."

Pyrrha's face took on a thoughtful look as she contemplated his answer. A waiter walked up to them holding a tray of what looked to be champagne.

"Excuse me, would either of you wish for a drink?" The two of them turned to him and polity shook their heads.

He smiled and nodded before moving over to a waitress and leaned close to her ear so that only she could her him. "Emerald, the target is almost in position. Are the preparations ready?" She looked at him and winked. "Calm down Mercury everything is ready, follow my lead." The two of them made their way out of the room.

Meanwhile Jaune and Pyrrha continued their conversation. "Well Mr. Arc, as for as answers go, yours was not bad. But I've heard better." She gave him a cheeky grin. He just raised one of his eyebrows at the look she was giving him. "Oh really?"

The two of them traded banter between each other for a few more minutes until another person walked over to them. Jaune turned to the new arrival and took note that the new figure was a rather tall female with silver hair cropped neatly on her head.

"Ms. Nikos I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation, but a situation has come out that needs your attention." The unknown woman then turned her gaze towards Jaune and studied his face for a brief moment before her smile grew wider.

 _'Oh good grief, what did I do this time, I am not a fan of that smile she's giving me.'_

"Ah you must be Mr. Arc, I've heard so much about you and your exploits on the battlefield. The way you inspire those around you and lead them into battle is very commendable I must say. But where are my manners, I am Winter Schnee, its a pleasure to make your acquaintance." She offered out her hand politely, which he shook before dropping his hand to his side.

"Thank you, but your words are to kind, I was just doing my job Ms. Schnee."

 _'And trying not to get killed in the process, but she doesn't need to know that.'_

"Nonsense Mr. Arc I meant what I said, so much in fact that I've had my eye on you for quite some time, I wish to talk to you about an proposition I have for you, but it will have to wait till later as we really must be going now." She nodded towards Pyrrha who sent an apologetic look towards him.

"Thank you for the wonderful talk, Mr. Arc I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I hope we meet again soon." The two ladies strode away from Jaune and he lost sight of them in the crowd. Seeing how they must have left the crowded room, he shrugged to himself and decided to try and find some of his squad, and maybe get in a dance or two. Although after a few minutes of searching he couldn't locate anyone.

Seeing an exit to his right, he started to make his way out of the bustling room and found himself in a rather quiet hallway. Searching the surrounding area he found an unlocked small room a few doors down with an array of musical instruments displayed neatly on their stands. By the looks of it, they had not been used in quite some time as a thin layer of dust had settled over them.

Walking over to them he brushed the dust off of one the guitars and took a moment to appreciate the instrument before carefully picking it up and strumming the strings.

"Heh its still in tune." He plucked a few chords to see how it sounded and smiled at the clean musical notes it produced. Cracking his fingers before going further, he sat down on one of the stools nearby and started to strum a slow tempo on the guitar. He closed his eyes and he started playing a peaceful tune. His thoughts started to drift and he started to reminisce about the things he had experienced in his life.

He fondly remembered the time when him and his sisters decided to have a food fight with each other and the unholy scolding they received from their mother when she found out what they had been doing. Many summer minutes were lost cleaning up the mess, but it was a memory he would never forgot and cherish.

A lone figure entered the room and stopped at the door to witness the sight of the young man playing a calming tune on the instrument in his hands. His eyes were closed and a peaceful smile was on his face. Not wanting to disturb him she stood quietly and continued to listen to the beautiful song.

Jaune didn't hear or notice the new arrival and his thoughts drifted to the moment when he told his family that he was leaving to join the military. Their distressed and scared face's flashed before his eyes and he stopped plucking at the strings. His eyes opened and a sad sigh escaped his lips. He looked out of one of the windows to the fragmented moon glowing softly in the sky.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and he turned around and was surprised to see a young woman standing at the door with her hands clasped together in front of her. She was wearing a pale blue dress with a light blue hat that covered her hair. But something that was slightly unusual for him was how pale her skin was.

"Ah good evening, I'm sorry I didn't hear you come in, I hope I wasn't bothering you with my playing."

She shook her head politely, "No you were not bothering me. If anything may I ask why did you stop? You were playing such a lovely tune." He glanced down at the guitar in his hand. "Oh well it's not anything important, just a memory I thought of, nothing important." He flashed her smile to ease her worries.

"Well regardless, the music was quite nice. Would you mind continuing to playing?" She took a few steps forward and gracefully sat down on a chair next to him. Seeing no harm in the request he shrugged and sat down before thinking on a tune to play for her. His gaze drifted over to few sheets of paper that were neatly arranged on one of the music stands. He reached over and grabbed the music sheets before studying them for a few moments.

"Miss do you sing?" She looked at him and noticed the music sheets in his hands. Pondering the young man's question briefly she gave a small nod towards him. "Yes I do on occasion." He handed the sheet over to her and gestured to the lyrics. "Do you mind singing the lyrics for this song?" Looking over the familiar words she softly cleared her throat and started to sing.

While her voice carried a slightly sad tone, it was hauntingly beautiful, and Jaune found himself admiring her singing ability. The two of them continued the song, both of them enjoying the sound of the other person next to them. The peaceful atmosphere ended shortly thereafter, as the song came to a close and the two of them sat quietly next to each other for a few moments, neither of them wanting to break the silence.

"You have a beautiful singing voice miss." She turned to him and a small smile crossed her face. "Thank you, your skills with the guitar was quite impressive as well."

He shook his head. "Thank you that's very kind of you." Jaune was about to ask if she wanted to sing another song when dull explosion rocked the building surprising the both of them.

 _'What the hell was that!'_ Jaune stood up and hastily made his way out of the room, followed closely behind by the young woman. The two of them quickly made their way to the ballroom and upon opening the door saw a multitude of bodies laying on the floor. A light green gas covered the surrounding area and Jaune turned to the woman behind him. "Gas, don't breath!" Turning back he saw a couple of figures with gas masks enter the room and spot the two of them.

"There she is! Get her!" Jaune whipped back around and grabbed the young woman's hand. "Come on let's go!"

They started to run away from the ballroom with the masked people in hot pursuit.

The chase was on.

* * *

 **And there you have it! A cliffhanger! What ever shall happen to these two? You'll just have to wait...**

 **On another note, I struggled the music scene as I've never really done one before so sorry if it was a bit to short. As for the song she was singing I do like the song from Summer Lesson (Here I am) so play that in your head when she's singing.**

 **(P.S) I won a Ruby Rose figurine in a crane game recently and boy does she look badass!**


	14. Forward Unto Dawn

**In case you've all been wondering, yes I have been dead for awhile, I've been busy at work...anyways I hope you enjoy the chapter! Big thanks to DragonManMax for helping me with the plotline.**

 **(I do not own RWBY)**

* * *

 **The Soldier's Battleground**

 **ザー・ソールジュズ・バタルフィールド**

 _Though darkness may fall, let the illusion of light guide your path..._

 **Chapter XIV: Forward Unto Dawn**

Jaune tightened his hand around the young woman's one as he pulled her quickly behind him. Rounding a corner he turned around to her quickly.

"Take your shoes off! You're going to break your ankles if you keep running with them!" She nodded and tossed the footwear to the side quickly as shouts could be heard behind them as the masked assailants where hot on their trail.

"Move!" The two of them continued running down a hallway until they turned down another one in an effort to lose their pursuers. Jaune racked his brain for ideas, but he had never found himself in this sort of situation before so he wanted to continue running, but a quick glance to the young woman beside him showed that she was tiring quickly.

' _Huh, I guess aristocrats and princesses' don't get much exercise.'_

The young woman stumbled and sharply stepped on one of Jaune's feet who hissed from the sudden jolt of pain. _'I'm shutting up now.'_

Seeing as this was an official event, Jaune hadn't been allowed to carry any weapons on him, so his options were limited to what he could do. Scanning the area ahead of him, he saw a room to his right.

"In here!" He ushered her into the rather small room and locked the door behind him. The sound of approaching footsteps stopped in front of the door and after trying to open the locked door, they started to pound on it trying to break it open.

Not letting that phase him, he jogged over to the window and looked down too see that the ground wasn't too far below. A makeshift plan formed in his head and he looked at the young woman.

"We'll escape through the window." Jaune opened the window and gestured below. "Come on I'll help you down." He pointed downwards to the ground. She gave him an incredulous look at his proposed idea. "We don't have much time, if you think this plan's stupid I'll hear you out later." She made her way over and cautiously stepped over the windowsill and looked down to the ground below.

The pounding increased outside the door, Jaune grabbed ahold of both her hands and stared at her. "We need to hurry." Gently he helped her off of the windowsill, and slowly but steadily lowered her out of the window. His muscles strained as he now found himself supporting her full weight as she hung by his arms. As he was letting her down, the doors finally broke and burst open behind him, he let go of the person in his hands. Turning around he saw the group of masked assailants enter the room.

Not expecting the sudden drop, a small scream escaped her lips as she fell the rest of the distance. Fortunately, a row of bushes were planted below her, and helped in damping her impact from the fall, nonetheless she still hissed from the pain. She looked back up to see why the young man dropped her so quickly and saw his back towards her in the window above.

Jaune took up a defense stance, and raised his fists in front of him. No one was going to get past him if he could help it. _'They had better not pull any guns out as I'll be mostly screwed then.'_ The enemies in front of him pulled out small daggers and he mentally sighed at the objects. _'At least they're not guns…'_ One of them charged at him and thrust their dagger at his chest. Falling back on his training, he threw out his left hand and grabbed ahold of their wrist before yanking them towards him. Using his other hand he shoved his elbow face in their face, and at the same time kneaded them in the gut. They immediately crumpled to the ground and he crouched down to grab their dagger.

Another one charged and was quickly brought down when they received a blade to their throat. By this time the remaining enemies eyed him warily as he glared right back at them.

"Two, take three and five and go get the girl. I'll deal with this obstacle." Jaune tenses at the order given as three of them left the room to head downstairs. _'Shit I need to finish this fight and get down there.'_ He studied his opponent in front of him. Seeing as how it was now just the two of them that either meant the person was highly trained, or overconfident in their abilities. He hoped it was the latter but in the end only one of them would be standing.

Clenching his fists he dashed forward and delivered a midair roundhouse kick towards his opponent who raised their arms in the air and blocked his move perfectly. They responded with a quick chop towards his neck making him raise his arm up his head to deflect the strike.

He threw a punch which connected with their face, he smirked when they growled at him from the hit. He started to throw a variety of punches and kicks at them in an effort to break through their defenses once more, he wasn't able to land another one after that first hit and the two of them traded blows back and forth.

Ducking down to avoid a kick to the head, he lunged forward and grabbed them around the waist tackling them to the ground. He started to throw punches at them but they responded by wrapping their legs around his waist and rolling them over, switching the positions. He decided to use his head to get out from under them, and grabbed their head before slamming it down onto his. The move worked as it stunned his opponent, but he was also seeing stars from the head-butt and tried to clear his vision that was currently swimming from the pain.

Remembering his original thought, he shoved them off of him and shakily stood up on his feet. _'Oh yeah I'm going to be feeling this tomorrow.'_ Still dizzy from the hit, he wasn't quite ready for a fist to come flying towards him. He grunted when it hit him square in the gut and he stumbled backwards from the surprise blow. Not wasting time, the masked enemy raised one of their legs and delivered a solid kick to his chest. Making him lose his balance and fall out of the open window behind him.

He felt his body become weightless for what seemed like an eternity as he fell down to the ground. But that feeling ended when his head hit the ground hard and he felt his consciousness start to fade from the rough landing. As darkness started to envelop his vision, he saw the young woman running up to him to see if he was okay and they found their eyes meeting each other.

"Run." He passed out.

The young woman paused at the single word the now unconscious man had said to her. Not wanting to abandon the person who had to tried to protect her, but also not having the strength to carry him, she carefully hide the man behind the bushes so that spotting him would be almost impossible in the darkness. With that done she took the advice the man gave and started to run once more from her pursuers.

Making her way across the courtyard she had landed in, she tried to open one of the doors leading to inside the mansion but found that it was locked. Looking for another way in she heard the sounds of footsteps approaching and she crouched down behind a tree trying to make her body as small as possible. Time slowed down as the footstep got closer to where she was hiding, holding her breath she waited and hoped that they would move away. After a few tense moments the footsteps moved away and she took a small breath of relief. Cautiously she leaned out and peered around the tree trunk to see if the unknown person had truly gone. To her surprise and utter shock a masked individual stared down at her menacingly.

"Found you." She recoiled back in horror as the person reached towards her. Reacting on instinct she thrust one of her legs out and felt it connect somewhere on the persons body. They cursed from the hit and she scrambled to her feet in an effort to get away from them. By this time another masked person had entered the scene and not wanting to deal with another person. She reached down and hiked up her skirt a little to reveal a small holster with a derringer pistol tucked neatly inside.

Drawing the small weapon smoothly into her hands she took aim at the approaching figure and fired off a round. The bullet struck their right arm making them flinch from the pain. Correcting her aim she fired the second round which tore into their left cheek making the person scream and fall down from the hit. Flicking the weapon open, she reached down for more ammo when the hair on the back of her neck stood up. Whipping around quickly, her vision was filled with a knife heading right at her...

* * *

A throbbing pain started to burn through Jaune's mind as he slowly started to regain conscience. He shook his head trying to dissipate the headache. His sore muscles made him groan as he opened his eyes to a starry night sky above.

"Damn, what happened? How long was I out?" He sat up and looked around him with a questioning look, scanning the area around him for the young woman. A glint of metal under the moonlight caught his eye, and with a slight groan, stood up and made his way over to discover a small derringer discarded on the grass.

"Both shot fired, I wonder if it was the young lady's." He turned the weapon over in his hand and studied it with a keen eye before looking down at the ground.

"There's spots of blood here. I'll follow the trail." As he was tracking the blood, he thought he heard a low buzzing sound coming from the sky and looked up too see the silhouette of a ship crossing in front of the shattered moon's light.

"Is, is that a zeppelin?" He had heard of these types of aircraft and how they were able to transport a great amount of people across the sky. His admiration of the zeppelin design ended when an explosion went off beneath the floating aircraft. His blood ran cold as the realization dawned on him. That zeppelin was not being used to transport people but rather, was being used in a bombing role. Something he had also heard rumors of.

 _'The kidnapping of the woman and the appearance of a zeppelin can't be that coincidental. I bet its a distraction for their escape. Which means they must have acquired a getaway vehicle.'_

He started jogging at a quick pace while tracking the sometimes hard to see trail. Eventually the blood spots became fewer and farther apart, but by this time he found himself in the front driveway part of the mansion. The faint smell of burnt rubber filled his nostrils and he looked around for the cause of the foul smell and found tire marks in the gravel leading away from the mansion. A car's engine roared in the night as it sped away from where he was standing.

 _'My hunch was right, I bet that's the car they drove away with, I need to tell the others.'_ The sound of footsteps behind him made him turn too see a battered Blake running towards him.

"Belladonna! Your alright." She stopped in front of him and took a few deep breaths. "Yes I'm fine, everyone else is helping evacuate the premises just in case that zeppelin heads this way."

Jaune nodded before pointing at the tire marks on the ground. "There was a young woman that was taken hostage by whoever released the gas. I believe they are using the zeppelin as a distraction to escape."

She pointed at another vehicle parked near them. "The rest of them have the situation under control, we should go after the hostage."She tossed him a handgun which he snatched from the air.

"Let's go." The two of them jumped into the front seats of the small black car and they tore out of the gravel driveway.

* * *

The young woman found herself slowly regaining consciousnesses and awoke to find herself in the backseat of a car as it sped along a road. The area around her was aflame with the sounds of explosions going off nearby. An airship loomed in the distance with what looked to be biplanes circling around it as protection. She looked at the person in the front passenger seat who was wearing a waitress outfit that she had seen at the event. They turned around a moment later and gave a disarming smile. "Well well, it seems that you've awoken princess, or should I say Weiss Schnee."

Wiess raised a delicate eyebrow and looked at the other woman. "That's Ms. Schnee you imbecile. Thank you very much." The unknown woman shrugged casually. "Whatever you say princess." She opened her mouth preparing a reply to the rude woman when one of the men next to her turned around quickly and looked out the back window and saw a vehicle rapidly gaining on their location.

"There is a car on our tail!" Upon hearing this, Weiss also turned around to see if she could see who was in the car, hopefully it was her sister coming to rescue her. But before she could get a good look the other man beside her grabbed her shoulder and stopped her from looking.

"We don't need any more unneeded complications, take them out!" One of the men pulled out a handgun and leaned out of the car window. He started to open fire on the vehicle behind, making them swerve in an effort to avoid the incoming bullets.

* * *

Blake jerked the wheel back and forth as bullet started to hit the front of the car, none had struck the windshield yet but she wasn't about to let that happen if she could avoid it. Jaune drew the handgun she had given him earlier and leaned out of the passenger window to open fire on the vehicle they were chasing. The first couple of shots went wild as she swerved to left and right making him grumble from the movements.

"Belladonna can you try and keep the car steady? I don't want to accidentally hit the hostage inside!"

"Then aim for the tires, if you can take those out it will be much easier to catch up to them!" His response was a grunt when they took a sharp left turn almost making him fall out if he hadn't been able to catch himself.

"Would it hurt to just one day off where shit doesn't hit the fan!" He popped off a round which struck right next to the left rear tire. "Where's your sense of adventure Lieutenant?"

"At home in a warm soft bed!" Blake's thoughts temporarily drifted to a certain scene in the book he had given to her a few months ago. A bullet striking the hood of the car made her shake the wayward thought out of her mind. "Belladonna I think they're heading towards the zeppelin for extraction!" She took a moment to look up and saw the zeppelin looming straight ahead of them. "We need to get her before they reach that then." She stepped on the gas pedal and started to close the distance between the two cars.

Jaune ducked his head back inside and pointed towards the sky. "Enemy plane incoming!" Blake turned the steering wheel hard right just in time before the enemy plane opened fire, spraying the ground next to them with lead. It pulled up into the sky and started to make it's way back around for another pass. The car in front of them continued to fire and one of the bullets shattered a part of the windshield.

Jaune looked over to see if Blake was hit and was relieved to see that she hadn't been. He took a look out behind and saw the plane opening fire once more on the vehicle they were in. A hail of bullets struck the back end of the car, destroying the back right tire and putting more than a few holes into the roof of the car. The car ahead of them turned left down a street but with the part of the vehicle damaged and the plane pursuing them, Jaune and Blake had no choice but to swerve right, down another street in order to lose the attacking airplane.

* * *

Weiss grunted when the man next to her pulled himself back inside and none to softly shoved his elbow into her gut. "They were chased off by one of our planes."

"Good, with any luck they'll be taken out by the plane. But if not, we'll be long gone by the time they shake our plane off." The car continued to speed down the road and past some burning houses as it made its final approach to the floating airship ahead. The area around the massive airship was alight in flames and destroyed houses. Weiss cringed at the putrid smell of sot and clenched her hands as her pursuer was no longer in sight and had been chased off.

A small group of Imperials soldiers aimed their weapons at the car as they stood underneath the airship. Upon nearing the group, one of the soldiers recognized the occupants inside and raised his hand in the air signaling for the rest of them to lower their weapons.

"Package is secure, let's get out of here." The soldier nodded and signaled the airship above. A few moments later, an wooden elevator was lowered and soon came to rest on the ground below. Weiss was none too gently shoved towards the platform and she turned around with an irritated look on her face. "Get your hands off of me."

Once she boarded the elevator a few of the Imperials followed suit and soon the signal was given for them to be lifted up. The elevator jerked and swayed as it made its journey upwards towards the underside of the airship. Upon arriving at the top, the group stepped off and once again Weiss was pushed off albeit a bit more gentle and was lead down a hallway. She silently observed her surroundings and took note of different places she could potential make her escape from if she could manage to get away from the people surrounding her. Then again, the really only viable option was the elevator as the ship was floating high above the ground. Her chances dwindled with each passing second but she wasn't about to lose faith, if she was going to be captured she was going to do it with dignity befitting of a Schnee.

* * *

Blake gripped the steering wheel and clenched her teeth as a stream of bullets impacted the ground to the right of the car. She swerved to the left and then to the right as she tried to lose the overhead enemy plane. Taking a quick glance over to her passenger she saw him reloading the pistol she had given him earlier, he looked over at her with a serious expression etched on his face. "Belladonna when I give the signal I need you to drive the car straight as possible, I'm going to try and take down that plane." She nodded her head and a small smirk crossed her lips. "Don't miss." He shook his head and leaned out of the window. "Trust me, I don't plan on it!"

Sparing another quick glance at the man across from her, she let a small smile replace her smirk. _'I already trust you.'_ Focusing her attention on the road ahead she continued to try and shake their pursuer and waited for the signal. Taking a hard left at an intersection made Jaune grunt from the turn as he lined up the shot. The road they were now on was straight as it was going to get and Jaune took the opportunity. "Now!"

Blake stopped jerking the wheel and slammed on the gas as they flew down the road. Bullets from the plane sailed past striking the area all around them, but Blake held her course as she drove straight down the road. The air cracked around them as Jaune let loose the entire clip in the pistol towards the plane and was relieved to see thick black smoke start to pour out of the damaged engine. A few seconds later a small fire erupted and slowly start to catch the plane on fire, it started to spiral out of control and veered towards the ground.

Jaune tucked his body back in and looked over at Blake with a grin plastered on his face. "We did it!" She nodded her head at him and took note of how the light danced across his elated features. "Great job Lieutenant." He pointed in the direction of the airship. "Let's go rescue the hostage." She turned down an alleyway and weaved through a group of abandoned cars as they made their way towards the airship.

"Belladonna I need you to cut the headlights, we don't want them to see us approaching if possible. Hopefully they haven't taken off of the ground and we can sneak aboard." Blake knew that driving at night for a human was hard as they had poor night vision, she herself didn't have that problem but seeing how he asked her without hesitation showed just how much he trusted her to keep them safe. The thought was reassuring to her as she turned off the lights and let her eyes adjust to the darkness.

Jaune reloaded the pistol and from his peripheral saw the light bouncing off of Blake's face and noticed how her eyes would occasionally almost seem to reflect the light. _'Huh well that's not something you see everyday...or night.'_ He shoved the thought to the back of his head and focused back on the task at hand. The airship was coming up ahead and he didn't need to distract himself with wayward thoughts. Now was the moment of truth as they approached the looming airship. Hopefully the enemy wouldn't be able to see them in the darkness.

"Dammit, they're not on the ground anymore, this just got alot harder." Blake scanned the area ahead and saw what looked to be a rope used to help anchor the zeppelin to the ground. "Lieutenant over their we can use that rope to get aboard." Jaune squinted at were she was pointing and was just barely able to see the rope she was pointing at. "I need to start eating more carrots after this..." He mumbled under his breath, but with her enhanced hearing she caught what he said and mentally shook her head at him.

As they approached the rope she noticed that it was no longer anchored to the ground and was actually being dragged by the airship above. Glancing down at how fast they were going she knew that there was no way the two of them could grab ahold of the rope without anyone driving the car. Jaune must have noticed to as he cursed under his breath. She knew what had to be done and she started to drive closer to the dangling rope. "Go, I'll keep the car steady." He opened his mouth to respond but she stopped him. "You know as well as I do that the two of us can't get aboard. Trust me you know I'm right."

"I do trust you, get me close." Blake sped up slightly and soon the rope was right outside of Jaune's door. He opened the door and reached for the rope. Right as he grabbed ahold of it Blake spoke. "Stay safe." He gave her a big smile. "Do your best to follow us, I may need a quick getaway." With that Jaune found himself being lifted away from the car as the zeppelin started to lift up into the air. He gave a thumbs up to Blake before he grabbed the rope with both of his hands and started to climb. As he slowly made his way up the swinging rope he took a moment to appreciate the view around him as he sailed through the air. Never before in his life had he been this high up in the sky, the thought made his blood pump as adrenaline started to course through his body. That and he felt the oddest urge to throw-up his dinner as he felt his stomach start to do somersaults inside of him.

 _'Who would have guessed that I got airsick.'_ He laughed mentally at the discovery as he did his best to keep the contents of his food down. Feeling the rope jerk under his hands he decided to not look down and instead looked up to see that someone or something was pulling the rope up and instead of expending his energy to climb upwards he just held on and waited to be pulled up.

Seconds passed by and Jaune readied himself for a fight if it was indeed someone pulling up the rope and not a machine. His muscles tensed as he was pulled the rest of the way up and he found himself coming face to face with a crew member who flinched when they noticed him hanging on the rope. "Nice night isn't it." He grabbed onto their leg and yanked them over the hole. They screamed as they fell towards the ground below and to certain death. _You could call that a free fall as they didn't even pay me to make them fall...I need to stop hanging around Yang.'_

He hefted himself onto the metal platform as quietly as possible, hopefully the scream wasn't heard by anyone else but that thought died when he heard another crew member coming his way. "Hey man you alright?! I thought I heard you yelling..." A pair of hands wrapped around their head and their world went black.

Jaune gently laid the person down on the ground and started to strip them of their clothes. If he was going to infiltrate the airship he needed a disguise to help him out. He hastily dressed in their clothes before picking them up and walked over to where he had thrown the last person. Disposing the body over the edge he started his search of the hostage.

Sneaking around would come off as suspicious so he started to walk with a purpose towards an unknown destination. No one seemed to pay him any mind as he made his way down one of the hallways. Keeping an eye for the young woman he looked around the ship and looked for different escape routes when he did manage to locate her. Both tasks proved to be more difficult than original thought as not only was he high up in the air, he had yet to find the young woman.

 _'You know maybe I should have thought this through more, at this rate I'll need to hijack the ship and land it in order to get off.'_ Jaune continued to weigh the options in his head as he continued his search through the ship. Surprisingly it had a bigger interior than he first thought and more than a few times he got turned around as he navigated it. _'Traveling through the trenches is easier than this shit.'_

After a few minutes he found himself in a nicer part of the ship and he could only make an educated guess that this was not for the general crew but for the officers that commanded the ship. Looking around him he pressed his ear against one of the doors and listened for any sound inside. Upon hearing none, he carefully opened the door and peeked inside to see that the lights were off and the room empty. Closing the door behind him he made his way over to the desk and glanced over the charts and maps strewn across its surface.

He found a document with details to a new piece of equipment currently stored below decks that would enable the survival of crew members if the zeppelin were to be shot down. Glancing over the technical document he looked up at the title. _**"Parachute."**_ Seeing the importance of the doc he folded it up and shoved it into his pocket. Finding nothing else of importance, he started to go through the drawers and after finding nothing walked over to the bed and the small nightstand beside it.

Going through the drawer he found a book inside that he recognized and picked it up. 'Grimm's' Fairy Tales, I haven't read this book since I was a kid." Putting the book back and closing the drawer, he glanced over the room to see if everything looked the same when he had first entered. Seeing everything in order he quietly made his way out into the hallway.

A sound behind him made him turn around, only to find an empty hallway. His eyes narrowed as he listened for any sounds, a commotion behind him stopped him from investigation further and he decided to go check it out instead of looking down an empty hall. The moment he walked around the corner a small figure with heterochromia eyes silently watched him leave before sinking back into the shadows.

Jaune made his way over to the commotion and peered around the corner to see a group of people making their way down a hallway. Right as they turned a corner he caught a glimpse of the young woman he was trying to rescue. Seeing as how he located her, the real challenge now was how to get her away from the group without getting them both killed.

He jogged to the corner they had turned at and saw a door at the end of the hallway with two guards posted outside. Weighing the options in his head he mentally sighed and walked around the corner and made his way up to the two enemy soldiers who looked at him with slight confusion. _'Oh right I'm wearing the maintenance crew outfit...'_ Not letting that phase him he nodded at the two guards and stopped in front of them.

"I need to talk the commanding officer, their is a slight problem with one of the anchoring cables that I discovered and wanted to report." He held his breath as the two guards looked at each other for a moment before moving their attention back to him.

"Sorry sir the commander specifically said that no one was to disturb them at this time, you'll have to either fix it now or come back at a later time." This time Jaune sighed out loud. "Well it was worth a try." He surged forward withdrawing a small knife he had picked up from one of the crewmembers he had thrown overboard and stabbed the guard through the bottom of their chin and twisted the blade making blood and spittle start to gush out from the deadly cut. The other guard started to lower his rifle in order to fire, but not wanting to get shot, he threw his leg out backwards and hit them square in the gut making them stumble from the blow and affording him the time to turn around and properly deal with them. Reversing the grip on his knife, he sliced them across the throat before flipping the knife and driving it into their chest a few times.

With both guards now dead, Jaune took a deep breath to help calm his nerves as he reached down and grabbed the equipment off of the two dead soldiers. Taking another calming breath he pulled out a remote detonator and opened the door in front of him.

* * *

Weiss looked over the bridge of the zeppelin and noticed how it was being manned by a skeleton crew. She could understand the logic behind it seeing that if the zeppelin was taken down or the abduction was a failure the enemy wouldn't have lost to many valuable pilots in the mission. Still if they were going to go through the effort of capturing her the least they could do was have the airship she was on fully manned in order for everything to function smoothly.

Her thoughts stopped when she and the rest of the people around her heard a commotion outside the door to the bridge. The sounds only lasted for a few seconds before silence once more engulfed the bridge. Shortly after the door handle was turned and a person entered the room with something small gripped in their left hand. Recognizing the object to be a wireless remote she immediately tensed up only for some of it to leave when she noticed that the person was actually the young man who had tried to protect her earlier and a shocked expression crossed her face.

"You, what are you doing here?" She pointed a finger at him surprise radiating from her voice. He smiled even though the air around them was high with tension.

"Hello snowflake I've come to rescue you." An unladylike snort escaped her lips at the nickname he had given her, but further conversation was ended when one of her captors aimed a pistol at his head.

"Who are you and how did you get aboard this ship!" They waved the pistol menacingly in the air. "Answer me or I'll shot." The young man gave a small shrug.

"Arc, Jaune Arc. Pleasure to make you acquaintance." The person raised an unimpressed eyebrow at what he said. Weiss placed one hand on her hip and the other one on her face as she sighed at the corny line the young man delivered. Jaune noticed the action and mentally cringed as well. _'That sounded a lot cooler in my head...'_

"So Mr. Arc. What are you planning on doing, you are clearly outnumbered and stand no chance of survival. Did you think that barging in with a remote detonator was going to solve all of your problems? You truly must be an idiot." They sneered at the young man.

"I have been known to do stupid things from time to time, but I am not an idiot. Before I made my way to the bridge I planted explosives throughout the ships hydrogen tanks and with the press of this button all of us will go in flames." He waved the small object in the air. "So what will it be?" They lowered their pistol slightly before once more aiming it at Jaune. "No if we don't return with her then it will be our heads, so either you kill us now or we let you escape and we still die from the hand of our boss. So go ahead and press that button, if we can't have her no one can!"

Jaune shrugged. "So be it." He reeled his arm back and sent the remote sailing through the air which struck the person with the pistol in the face, making them flinch from the hit. He took the momentary distraction and wiped out the pistol he had concealed and quickly dropped two soldiers who were next to the young woman. He dashed forward and struck the person he had hit with the remote with his pistol effectively knocking them out. He aimed the pistol at the rest of the crew members on the bridge who all stood still in fear of him.

He motioned to Weiss. "Come on lets go." A determined look crossed her face as she confidently made her way over to him. The two of them made their way out of the room and Jaune blocked the door from opening with one of the rifle the guards outside had. He glanced over at the woman and pointed down the hallway. "I think I found a way to escape that way, but we need to hurry." She nodded and the two once more found themselves running away from the enemy, fortunately this time no one was actively chasing them and the alarms had yet to be raised so the only sound was their footsteps echoing off the walls.

 ** _"The prisoner has escaped, I repeat, the prisoner has escaped. All hands full alert!"_** Jaune groaned internally at the announcement and picked up his pace as he mentally plotted the way to the room he had read about earlier. Weiss followed closely behind him as he turned down hallway after hallway as they made their way to the rear end of the zeppelin.

Seeing the room in sight Jaune felt his hopes rise only for them to dash to pieces when gunshots rang out behind him with the ensuing bullets whistle a bit to close for comfort by him. He twisted his body and fired off a few stray rounds down the hallway to suppress the enemy. They finally arrived at their destination and ran into the room with Jaune closing the door behind them.

"Mr. Arc what exactly were you planning on doing by trapping us in this room!" He pointed towards a row of what looked to be cloth bags hanging on the wall. "I found a document saying that these things will be able to get us to the ground safely, its called a parachute or something." The door behind them started to break as the enemy on the other side started to pound on the other side. Seeing that brute force wasn't going to work, they started to open fire on the door. With bullets holes now starting to form through the door. Moments later the door finally gave out and Jaune had no choice but to open fire on the enemy near the door. He was able to take them all out but not before one them dropped a grenade from their hand which rolled on the ground.

He grabbed one of the dead bodies and threw it onto the grenade and then shoved Weiss to the ground to protect her from the blast. The grenade went off showering the room with blood, guts, and shattered the windows to the outside. The bitter cold sky struck the two of them with force as they now had nothing to shield them from the wind. Jaune made his way over to the parachutes and grabbed one for Weiss when more bullets started to sail down the hallway and through the door. A bullet grazed Wiess' left thigh and she stumbled backwards from the hit and tumbled out one of the broken windows with a scream of terror.

"Fuck!" Jaune haphazardly threw on the parachute as he dove out of the window into the twilight sky below. He felt as if his stomach was at his throat but shoved down the feeling of nausea as he scanned the sky around him for Weiss. He located her some distance away from him flailing helplessly as she fell towards the ground below. Tucking his arms in and straightening out his feet he started to glide himself over to the young woman. Even though the freezing bitter wind was whipping past his ear he yelled at the top of his lungs trying to get her attention.

Sadly the distance was still to far for her to hear him, also she was more than likely panicking and was not listening for anyone anyways. As he made his way to her, she caught sight of him and he took the time to point at her and then to himself as he stretched out his body only to bring it back closer so he could catch up with her. Catching on to what he was implying she outstretched her arms and legs which added a bit more resistance making her fall a little bit slower. Not wanting to see the ground below she looked up at the sky and saw that it had gotten brighter and that dawn was about to start. She then saw the young man shooting his way over to her and she felt comfort knowing that if she died today at least she wouldn't be alone.

But the instinct to survive kicked in and she outstretched her hand towards him. He slowly made his way over to her and after what seemed like an eternity grabbed ahold of her hand and pulled her tightly against his chest. "Hold on!" He gripped the rip cord and yanked. The parachute deployed out of the bag and unfurled above them in a big canopy of cloth and rope. Jaune felt his body jerk from the sudden deceleration and tightened his grip on the woman so he wouldn't drop her.

They both slowly started to fall towards the ground and while both of them felt their heart racing from the ordeal they had just been put through, the adrenaline was wearing off, and with that came the realization of how close they were to each other. Weiss was not one for such close contact and started to lightly struggle in his grip. "Hey stop moving I don't want to drop you!"

Upon hearing this, she immediately stopped her struggle and tightened her grip around his chest. "You had better be appreciative, its not every day you get to hold onto an heiress."

A puzzled look crossed his face and he looked down at her. "Y-your an heiress?"

Her facial expression blanched at his question. "Isn't that why you went after me?" He shook his head. "No it wasn't I saw that you were in trouble and that I could help you, that was all."

She studied his face and despite trying her hardest she could only see the honesty in his expression. "Well regardless I thank you for the rescue. You shall be compensated accordingly once word reaches my father of what you've done." He shook his head again. "No that's not necessary, I was just doing what I thought was the right thing to do. And before you answer we're about to land, brace yourself."

Looking down they were indeed only a few dozen feet from landing and the thought of once more being on solid earth made a feeling of excitement pass through her. That feeling was a bit jarred when the two of them impacted the ground more than a little rough. They tumbled a few time before coming to a stop in grassy field. Jaune let go of Weiss and helped her up before stripping himself of the parachute harness and laying it down on the ground.

The buildings around them were dark as most people were still asleep at this time. Still the sound of vehicles approaching them made Jaune tense up as he prepared himself for another fight. That thought died when he saw Blake pulling up in a car. Other vehicles as well pulled up behind her and a crowd of people soon amassed around Weiss as they checked her over for injuries.

Jaune stealthily snuck his way out of the crowd as he had a much more important mission to accomplish now that the young woman was rescued. Stumbling behind a car he gave a quick look around before he felt the contents of his stomach rise up and he started to throw up onto the grass. A few moments later he felt a gentle hand on his back and he looked up to see to his surprise, Blake softly rubbing his back. He appreciated the gesture and was about to thank her when he felt another wave of nausea hit him full force. "I am never going to go flying again for the rest of my life." Blake voice dripped with mirth as she lightly patted him on the back. "I don't think thats what people are expecting from someone who rescued an heiress." He coughed roughly a few times before answering her back. "Don't care its what I'm honestly feeling." A small laugh escaped her lips at his answer and he looked up to reprimand her for laughing at his misfortune only for the words to be caught in his throat when he saw how she looked.

He had seen plenty of sunsets in his lifetime, many of them bathing the landscape in its beautiful golden rays. But seeing her standing in the grassy field with a gentle breeze blowing through her hair, a smile on her face and her eyes dancing with laughter. He couldn't find the will to tear his eyes away from how breathtaking the scene was. She was immeasurably beautiful...

* * *

 **There you have it, end of the chapter! If you think the ending was a bit abrupt...sorry my bad. Anyways please don't forget to read and review, it really helps me a lot with improving the story.**


	15. In for a Penny, In for a Pound

**Hello everyone, here is the next installment of the story. On a side note don't be an idiot like me and forgot to save the word document, it will result in losing everything you've written...**

 **Anyways please read and review!**

 **(I do not own RWBY)**

* * *

 **The Soldier's Battleground**

 **ザー・ソールジュズ・バタルフィールド**

 **Chapter XV: In for a Penny, In for a Pound**

A few weeks after the attempted kidnap on the Schnee heiress, Jaune found himself once more being visited by Neo with a truckload of equipment and uniforms that were being given to his unit as a reward for saving Weiss Schnee. Initially he tried to refuse the reward, but a quick discussion later with Neo and he went about gathering his unit for a rundown on everything that was being given to them.

"What's going on sir?" Everyone gathered around a group of crates that Jaune and Neo were standing on, Neo being on a crate higher than Jaune.

"It seems that because we rescued the Schnee heiress we are getting rewarded for our action that day in the form of more weapons and equipment…why it can't be something simple like a steak or vacation days is beyond me." He gestured to Neo who grinned and waved at a pile of crates.

"In those crates you will find different weapons and equipment that have been given to us to use in the coming battles. If you want to try out the weapons there is a firing range over there just for that." One by one the group slowly started to spread out in the immediate area to peruse the contents held inside the crates leaving only him and Neo behind.

He turned to Neo who was holding a folder out to him, sighing he grabbed the folder and opened it. "Let's see…On behalf of the Schnee company we wanted to properly thank you…not important I'll read it later." He grabbed the paper and tossed it to the ground.

"Anyways what have they got for me? Uh, the Mle RSC II is a gas operated rifle with a rotating bolt system. Chambered in 8mm, is shorter and lighter than the I version, corrects all the previous iterations drawbacks and now uses the 5-round Port clip instead of the previous Oobleck clip."

Looking up at Neo for clarification she just shrugged and swung her legs back and forth on the crate she was sitting on. He matched her shrug and went back to reading.

"In addition, we have added a bolt hold-open device that is located on the right side of the receiver that will go up automatically after the clip's last round has been fired. And seeing as how you are a smaller man…who the fuck wrote this? I am not that small!" Snickering in the background made Jaune look up and scan the area around him, only to see everyone looking down at their folders with serious expressions.

"…We originally thought of giving you the carbine version of the Mle RSC II but decided against it." He scoffed and closed the folder. "Alright then, Neo show me this rifle they speak off." She smirked at his expression and hopped off the crate she was sitting on before making her way over to a smaller crate. She opened the lid and handed the rifle to Jaune who started to examine and inspect the new rifle.

"Well it feels slighter lighter than the rifle I have now. I'm assuming, that since it's not a bolt action rifle it has a faster fire rate?" Neo nodded her head and gestured to the firing range.

"Yeah, I'll put a few rounds downrange later, what's all this stuff in the crate?" He reached down and picked up a new helmet he had never seen before. Neo tapped his shoulder and he turned to her for explanation.

" **This helmet is an experimental design that could replace the Brodie helmets currently issued. It covers more of the head and goes lower to help protect the ears and neck, Roman also added a frontal plate of armor that fits over the top of the helmet and gives more protection to the forehead. It's metal composition is like your chest armor."**

Jaune turned the helmet around in his hands before placing it atop his head. It felt heavier than the helmet he was used to wearing, but would the extra protection be worth the weight?

"Neo this thing feels decently heavier than the Brodie helmet, how do I know this added forehead armor is worth it?"

" **Trust me, it works."** He raised a skeptical eyebrow at her. "That's not exactly reassuring." She wordless sighed and shook her head before reaching behind her back and pulling out small pistol. "Woah what are you Neo!?" An evil smirk crossed her petite face and she aimed the pistol towards Jaune and pulled the trigger.

 _ **Bang!**_

Jaune's felt his neck snap backwards from the impact of the bullet and his vision blurred from the pain that was starting to bloom. "What are you a psychopath!? Why did you just shoot me!" He reached up and lightly groaned as he held his sore head.

" **It worked, didn't it? I told you to trust me."** She holstered the pistol and put her hands on her hips. **"This is also payback for not getting me my ice cream at the ball."**

' _I can't believe she actually shot me! What a crazy bitch, I'll never question her again.'_

"Fuck Neo I believe you, but never do that again."

" **Hey at least I didn't shoot you with a rifle, that probably would have ended in your death."** She silently snorted.

"Not funny Neo." He took off the helmet and looked at where the bullet impacted to find that it didn't even puncture the added forehead armor piece like she said. Mentally shaking his head, he decided to see what else was in the crate.

A black coat with red stripes on each of its arms and one going down the buttons of the coat, was sitting atop a matching pair of black pants with brown knee-high leather boots placed next to them.

Jaune reached down and picked the coat up to feel the fabric and was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was a nylon like material. Removing his current muddy coat, he slipped on the clean one and moved his arms around to see how it felt and found that it was a perfect fit.

"I'd like to try on the pants." He looked at Neo who just sent him a blank stare. **"Well what are you waiting for then?"** Shaking his head, he started to undo his buckle. "Never mind, not like you'd turn around anyways." Removing his boots and pants, he quickly pulled up the new pants and fastened the buckle before slipping on the boots over his feet.

Walking around the immediate area, he got a quick feel for the boots and the rest of the outfit and liked what he discovered. Looking over at Neo he saw a predatory look in her eyes and he raised an unamused eyebrow at the gaze. "Like what you see?"

" **No harm in a girl enjoying the view."** She batted her eyelashes at him making him snort at the action. "Sure, it is, anyways I do like how this outfit feels, but I'll have to wear it for some time before I can give my full opinion on the matter." He walked back to the crate and saw a pair of metal forearm bracers with a pair of black leather gloves laying on top.

" **Roman made you some more armor to go along with your chest and helmet."** She jabbed a finger into his chest making him grunt from the poke. **"If you damage these bracers like you did to your last chest armor, I'm going to make you pay."** He held his hands into the air and shook his head.

"I'll do my best to not get them banged up." Before she could jab him again he donned the gloves and the greaves before flexing his hands to see if the armor impended him in any way and found that because of the small layered plates his movement was barely hindered.

He looked back at Neo to comment on the bracers but stopped when he heard the heavy pounding of footsteps approaching.

"Hey Boss, Boss!" Jaune turned his attention to the approaching Nora Valkyrie holding what looked to be a metal tube with a grenade attached to the end of it.

 _'Oh god what has she thought of this time?'_

"Yes Corporal, what is it?" Nora skidded to a stop and shoved the device in her hand towards his face. "We finished it boss, my new baby!" Not wanting to guess at why it was, he decided to just ask her.

"Alright then, what is this device?"

"Well artillery can't always be there to save everyone's ass's when a tank or machine gun emplacement rolls up on them, so I thought that maybe having a portable Valkyrie would be a great idea!"

 _'Don't take that sentence out of context.'_ Jaune thought dryly to himself.

"A bullet in a nutshell has a charge that flings the metal out of a barrel, so I got to thinking why can't we do the same thing for a grenade? So, I had my local scientist Ren help me with the planning. The first draft had the grenade inside the tube for firing, but having the grenade in the tube meant that we had a wooden rod the size of the grenade, which lead to the grenade being lighter compared to the rod. So, we put the grenade on the outside of the tube added some fins to the base of the rod and now the weight issue has been solved!"

He gingerly took the makeshift device and turned it around in his hands as he inspected it. "How do you fire the weapon?"

Nora grabbed the tube back from him and pulled out the explosive from the tube and he took note of the wood rod and collapsed fins on the back. "So first you insert the rod into the tube and..." Jaune held his hand up to stop her. "You should rephrase that part but continue."

"Huh uh okay? Anyways after that you put this gunpowder charge in the back of the tube and push it in till it hits the back of the wood rod. This puts the gunpowder directly under the trigger on top, which ignites the charge, causing an explosion that forces the grenade out of the barrel and into the air. Since it's a hollow tube, the back blast will just go out the rear with very little recoil on the user. Here I'll show you!"

She led him over to small field where a small pile of sandbags had been set up in the distance. He also took note of an exhausted Ren laying down on the ground near them as well.

"Well done Ren, I see you've set up the display." Ren tiredly gave a thumb's up from where he lay before dropping his arm back down onto his chest." Jaune mentally sent his support towards the young medic before diverting his attention back to Nora who was holding the tube under arm and aiming it towards the pile of sandbags.

"I am queen of the castle!" A loud bang was heard as the grenade flew out of the barrel and into the air. The two of them watched with anticipation until the ensuing explosion blew the sandbags away.

' _May Oum have mercy on whomever gets into that thing's crosshairs…'_ Jaune looked over to Nora who was cackling at the sight. _'…And hers as well.'_

"Well Corporal I see that you've created a unique weapon that I'm sure will be used in the future. Great job."

"Thanks boss, but I forgot to add that this weapon does have a short firing range so you need to be rather close to the target to fire accurately."

She reached down to her belt and pulled out a small hand sized canister and offered it towards Jaune.

"Which is where this thing comes in super handy! I don't know exactly how it works, but supposedly this thing uses a powder called dust? Or something, to create a smoke screen to conceal yourself from the enemy. I wanted a pink one but the closest one they had was a red smoke. Such disappointment."

Genuine remorse filled her voice and Jaune almost found himself wanting to see if pink smoke could be made for her, but stopped himself before that thought went too far down the rabbit hole.

"Oh, before I forget boss, I was told to tell you that besides the smoke grenades, they used the dust material to also create something called a tracer or something? They put a small amount of it on the tip of the bullet and the heat of the bullet leaving the barrel ignites it and makes it visible to the naked eye."

She pointed at the rifle leaning against his crate. "I bet you have some tracers in that crate of yours for that rifle." The two of them made their way over to his crate where Neo handed him a small belt of ammo.

He grabbed the new rifle and all three of them walked over to the firing range. Opening the magazine latch at the bottom of the rifle he grabbed the capacity clip and saw that every other round was tipped with a green like substance. Inserting the clip, he closed the magazine latch and racked the bolt handle before shouldered the rifle. Aiming it down range, he pulled the trigger and felt the rifle kick his shoulder as the round flew out of the barrel and impacted a target about hundred meters or so away.

Pulling the trigger once more, he saw what looked like a bright flash of green light leave barrel and streak its way through the air away from him. Nora cheered next to him when she saw the tracer zip through the air. He fired the remaining three rounds in the clip before opening the magazine latch and dumping out the expended clip onto the ground.

"Well the rifle has a decent kick to it, but it's a pretty comfortable gun to shoot overall. The tracers are a nice touch, I'm assuming everyone else's weapons will have the tracers on their ammunition as well?"

Neo nodded her head and gestured to the other soldiers around them that were now making their way to the firing range with an assortment of weapons in their hands. He mentally took note of Yang carrying a different shotgun than her usual one.

For the most part it looked like your average shotgun, with the wooden stock and shell tube located beneath the barrel. But the receiver looked different in that it was missing the usual cover. Loading a shell into the barrel, she flipped the weapon sideways and loaded a few shells in to the tube beneath before aiming the shotgun downrange.

A loud boom pierced the air as the expended shell was immediately ejected upwards out of the receiver before it slammed forward and loaded in a new shell. Yang rapidly fired the rest of the shells before resting the stock on her hip and grinning at what she just did.

Jaune smiled and shook his head at what she had just done. He then looked around for her sister and noticed that more than a few members of his squad were nowhere in sight. Then again, the one's missing where a part of the armored corps. Speaking of which, he needed to go check up on them too, considering they should have gotten some upgrades as well.

Slinging his new rifle over his shoulder he started to make the journey over to where the vehicles were parked and maintained. Excited chatter started to fill his ears the closer he got, and soon he saw Penny, Velvet and Ruby talking to each other and gesturing to the small tank behind them. He cleared his throat to get their attention and the three of them quitted down and shifted their attention to him.

"Hey guys, what's with all the excited chatter? New equipment?" Penny smiled at the question and rapidly nodded her head. "Indeed, you are correct, this tank is the updated and upgraded version of the original tank I first received."

She pointed at the front of the tank. "The front idler wheels that were made of wood are now made of steel, making it more durable. Additional vision slits are added to aid the driver. We refitted the circular turret with a polygonal one and since the 37mm cannon did not have enough punching power, we replaced it with a new 39mm high velocity cannon."

Moving to the back of the tank she opened the rear hatch and gestured to the engine. "Scarlatina is a superb mechanic and was able to rebuild the engine block, so now this machine can drive around nine miles per hour, four miles per hour improvement over the last model. The last improvement was adding a Lewis machine gun to the top of the turret for an outside gunner to fire, or the turret gunner can open the turret's rear hatch and fire it as well."

Jaune who was quietly listening the whole time, nodded his head in approval at what the young woman was saying and spoke up when she finished. "Well I gotta say, you ladies have certainly done a great job with the tank, my hat is off to you." All three of them grinned at him, and he gave them a thumbs up.

The sound of someone's stomach growling made everyone's attention shift to Velvet who blushed a deep red and lowered her head in embarrassment. Jaune glanced at his watch, "Well it is about time for lunch, shall we go get some food?" Everyone nodded their heads in agreement and the small group slowly made their way to where the food was being served.

As they were making their way there, Jaune saw Blake sitting on top of a crate with a new weapon leaning next to her and a book in her hand. _'She does like to read her books whenever time permits it.'_

He excused himself from the group and walked over to the young woman who noticed his approach and lowered her book. "Lieutenant." He waved his hand in response. "You get a chance to look at the new equipment we received?" She nodded and wordlessly gestured the weapon beside her.

' _Redundant question, fair enough.'_ Mentally slapping himself in the face he gestured to the book in her hand. "Well that's good to hear, so what are you reading then if you don't mind me asking." Her expression subtly changed but Jaune noticed how she seemed to perk up from the question. "It's the next book in the series your sister is writing."

' _Damn, I probably should tell her that I'm the author and my sister is the one promoting it while I'm away from home.'_ He cleared his throat and nodded at her.

"Well uh if you got the second book, I'm going out on a limb and say you enjoyed the first one then?" She raised the book to her mouth and shook her head affirmatively.

' _Who would have thought the quiet and deadly Belladonna would enjoy a smut book. Then again, I am the one who wrote a smut book so I wonder what that says about me…'_

"So, what about the books interest you? Feedback is an important thing."

Blake's expression took on a contemplative look as she thought of her answer. "I would have to say how the author manages to capture the raw emotions of the characters in the story."

 _"You could say it is a 'raw' book indeed."_ Jaune smartly kept the comment to himself and continued to listen to the young woman.

"I'd love to meet the author one day; their words really speak to me. For example, listen to this passage in the book." She flipped through the book rapidly before stopping about midway through and started to read. " _I love you, Sierra." The man usually wearing the mask said, his voice catching in his throat even before he continued. "I know you love me too... Why should we stop what even the Gods cannot interfere with?" She looked down into his eyes, his brown ones reflecting her own even as the moonlight streamed in from the windows, casting her in a heavenly glow of pale midnight, accentuating every part of her. Every single part was hers, and he loved every part all the same…"_

An evil thought crossed Jaune's mind and he tried to suppress a grin that threatened to break his serious expression. "So, you think being bathed in the soft glow of twilight with a katana being put into its sheath resonates with you?"

A light blush coated Blake's cheeks as she realized that she had just read out loud the beginning part of a steamy make-out scene in the book, to the lieutenant no less. Witnessing her blush at his comment, made Jaune start to tremble as he tried his best to hold in his mirth.

Seeing him trying and failing to stop laughing, Blake walked up to him and lightly punched him on the shoulder as a new wave of pink assaulted her cheeks.

He grabbed her hand and gently pushed it off his shoulder as he grinned at her. "Well if you do meet the author I'm sure they'll appreciate that you like that particular scene in the book." She wound her arm back and punched him again, albeit a bit harder this time. "Stuff it Lieutenant."

He started to come back with a reply but she put her finger on his lips. "Get your head out of the gutter." She then lightly flicked him on the forehead. _'Why's he such a goof?'_

Jaune raised his hands in the air in surrender as he dramatically fell to the ground from the harmless flick. "Oh, heaven's what a blow you rendered unto me!"

The sound of someone made the two of them turn their heads to see Penny studying the two of them rather intently. "You two seem to get along quite well, but nevertheless Major Ozpin has requested the presence of Lieutenant Arc so I must sadly cut this interaction short."

Jaune sighed and got up from the ground before lightly dusting himself off. "Copy that, I'm on my way." He turned to Blake, "We'll have to continue this conversation when I get back."

Bidding the young woman farewell, he walked by the firing range and noticed Ruby firing a rifle that was as long as she was tall. The magazine sat atop the rifle slightly slanted to the side and judging from its size, the ammunition she was firing was of a large caliber.

Taking a look around the firing range he saw Velvet firing a carbine like semi-auto rifle with a stick magazine coming out of the bottom right in front of the trigger guard. He watched them for a few moments before leaving them and continuing his way to the Major.

He found Ozpin sipping on a cup of coffee and studying a map laid out on a table in front of him. Clearing his throat, Ozpin looked up and motioned at the map. "Lieutenant I saw how everyone has been informed of the new equipment we received. Which is good, as we have just received orders to move to a new location."

Ozpin took another sip of his coffee before answering. "We will be joining the 198th Battalion and landing in the port city of Vale, we will capture and secure the location before moving on to Mt. Glenn."

"Sir if the mountain has tunnels, wouldn't that mean there could potentially be tunnels running under the city as well? It would make it easier for soldiers and equipment to go to and from each location without exposing themselves."

"You are indeed correct, Command also thinks the same thing, which is why that is a secondary objective when capturing the city. If there are indeed tunnels to Mt. Glenn then that will make taking it tremendously easier."

Jaune studied the map and grabbed a few pieces of papers that held details of the city. "What are we looking at for defenses?" Ozpin adjusted his glasses and motioned to the papers in his hands. "According to initial reports it is only lightly guarded and should not pose much of a threat for when we land."

He listened to what Ozpin said and shuffled through the contents of the papers. Having served in the war for quite some time now, he was not naïve enough to take reports as completely accurate up front. Taking all information with a grain of salt made it much easier to adjust when the reports were wrong and inaccurate.

"Even so, an amphibious assault is maybe not the best strategy, most soldiers have been fighting in the trenches their entire time serving, telling them to get onto a boat and sail it to land could easily result in them drowning. One doesn't need to know how to swim in this hell."

Ozpin sipped his coffee once more and regarded what he said for moment before answering. "I completely agree with you, but sadly this is outside my control. What you said is one of the reasons why there are going to be two battalions going in. Hopefully enough of you make it to shore and capture the city until reinforcements are sent in."

"This plan can and more than likely will go wrong on so many levels. The city may have more enemy soldiers than originally thought, the weather could be foul, the reinforcements may not make it in time before the Imperials wipe out the first landing forces."

Ozpin sighed and nodded at the reasons he was listing off. "I know this plan has many flaws in it, but we have our orders." Jaune pursed his lips and looked back down at the map.

"I still don't like this plan, but when do we leave?"

"Three days Lieutenant, I suggest you get your squad ready." Jaune saluted Ozpin and made his way out of the room but was stopped when Ozpin cleared his throat.

"Lieutenant, have you read any fairy tales in your life?"

He paused and turned back around to face the Major. "Um, I read my fair amount of them when I was a child. Why?" Ozpin adjusted his glasses and picked up a few papers, neatly organizing them. "Have you ever heard of the fairy tale, 'The Legend of the Four Maidens?"

A perplexed expression crossed his features and he shook his head. "No, I don't think I've ever heard of that one. Is it a popular one or something?"

"I'm afraid not, this particular fairy tale is one that has been passed down my family for generations, but never made it to the public eye."

Jaune felt his curiosity peak, but refrained from letting it show. "Oh, if the public doesn't know about it, then why are you telling me?"

"Because I've seen how you act around your soldiers and those around you, and I think you've more than proven yourself qualified to listen to the tale."

"Well thank you, but I'm just trying to do my job to the best I can."

"Even so, you deserve to know who you're fighting alongside with."

Jaune walked back over to the table and looked at Ozpin on the other side. "Alright then, I'll bite, let's hear it."

Ozpin set his coffee cup down and folded his hands together. "Well according to the story, many millennia ago, the world was ruled by the four maidens, and were assisted by heavenly beings. They helped rule and keep order over the world humans lived in. But after serving the maidens and having to deal with the troubles of humankind."

"The beings grew tired and decided to rebel against their masters. Tricking and convincing part of humanity to rebel as well, the War of the Fallen began, with the battles raging across the world, much of land was ravished and made uninhabitable for any living creature to live in."

"Fortunately, not all of humanity had sided with the fallen and they fought alongside the four maidens to restore peace and order to the world. After a hundred years of conflict, the land was renamed Remnant, because of how much of the world had been made inhospitable. The fallen were defeated, banished, and cursed to roam the wasteland as hideous creatures for their actions."

"Not wanting the loyal humans to suffer from the fallen, each maiden bestowed a gift to humanity. One was Dust, a natural source of energy in a crystalized format, and a powerful element. The second was Aura, which was the manifestation of the soul and was used to fortify the body against major injury. The third was Semblance, which gave the humans the ability to use their aura as a weapon."

Ozpin took a long sip of his coffee and his eyes meet Jaune over the rim of the cup. "The fourth and final gift, was the creation of Faunus, a mixed race that had 'animal like abilities' and were to be guardians and warriors against the fallen. Sadly, as time went on, the Fallen, the Maidens, and their gifts to mankind faded into legends."

Jaune raised his hand and politely interrupted Ozpin. "Sir you mentioned that the creatures were called the fallen, I know that there are tall tales of ferocious creatures told in taverns and bars. Do these tales and the fallen have something in common?"

Ozpin smiled. "Yes, you are indeed correct. While the name 'fallen' is their original name, they have been called many different titles. Have you ever heard of the creatures called Grimm?"

* * *

 **Cliffhanger! Bwahaha!**

 **I will be adding this info to my profile page, but the new weapons every is getting is as follows.**

 **Jaune: RSC 1918 carbine rifle.**

 **Nora: A heavily modified grenade launcher of her own making.**

 **Ren: Webley** **1913 semi auto pistol.**

 **Blake: MP-16**

 **Ruby: Prototype Experimental 1918 Winchester .50 Cal Anti-Tank R** **ifle.**

 **Yang: Sjogren Inertia Shotgun.**

 **Coco: MG 14/17 Machine Gun.**

 **Velvet: M1907 SL.**

 **Penny: Smith & Wesson No. 3 Revolver.**

 **"Afterword from DragonManMax: Hahahahaha! Man, I Almost wrote smut. I mean, who would've thought eh? It's not like I have some smut already on my profile... (Hint, wink, nudge.) Anyways, here's the first beta note I've done. Really, this is just to let you know I'm here, and actually doing stuff. So yeah... Leave some reviews yeah?"**

 **On another note, I do have an artwork piece of Jaune/Nora/Ren/Blake (Take out all the spaces) If this link doesn't work head over to DA and look up "The Soldiers Battleground" in the search bar.**

ria ly nkv.d evia nta rt ar t/T he-Sol dier-s-Ba ttleg rou nd-71 53 46 383


	16. All is Fair in Love and War

**And I'm back with another chapter before Christmas! This chapter is a bit different than what I've usually written for, but I hope you've enjoyed the journey so far. Also personal thanks to DragonManMax for contributing to this chapter, he helped with some of the battle scenes.**

 **Review Q &A**

 **Jaune-R: _Great chapter and update as usual. I love the interaction and how you're portraying the Grimm. Can't wait for the next update dude._ Thanks man, I tried my best with coming up with the fairytale and 'implementing' the Grimm into the story. Many an hour was spent brainstorming.**

 **DragonManMax: _Haha, while there was no implementation of Miguel's name in there, the scene was well incorporated and made me smile. Also liked the blow of destruction that Blake gave to Jaune, tough now that I've written 'blow' and 'Blake' in the same sentence, I'm thinking of something else entirely. Saddened to hear about the lost words, but oh well. Try using GoogleDocs, as it auto saves and you can access it anywhere._**

 **Glad you liked the incorporation, and losing word progress has happened one to many times to count...**

 **Jkdelta38: _Good chapter. And nice upgrades for weapons. Any chance for Jaune getting either a Huot Automatic rifle or a Farquhar hill semi auto rifle? RSC was a decent semi auto rifle for its time but given it's firing 8mm lebel round not the .303 british it'll be harder to get ammo for it then the SMLE and various machine guns firing .303._**

 **It takes me the longest time to settle on a weapon for each of the RWBY cast, so while I probably won't give Jaune either of those weapons, I can try and add them into the story at some point. Also the 8mm Lebel round was the standard french ammunition just as the .303 was the standard for the** **British. So it's not rare I don't think.**

 **Bookfisher: _aww no Madsen machine gun?_ I'll see what I can do, shouldn't be to hard to include.**

 **SnowPegasi: _I'm so hype for the coming battle and I can't wait to see Blake's reaction to Jaune being the author of Ninjas of Love, Knightshade is the ship that makes no sense but just sorta works on so many levels, they're both socially awkward in different ways, Blake is slow to trust while Jaune trusts unconditionally, Jaune is an optimist while Blake is a pessimist, I guess opposites just attract one another._**

 **I hope my rendition of the coming battle is up to your standard then, and Blake's reaction will be later in the story as I quite haven't figured out that scene in my head yet. As for your observation on Jaune and Blake, I think it holds a fair amount of truth to it. Good job!**

 **(I do own RWBY)**

* * *

 **The Soldier's Battleground**

 **ザー・ソールジュズ・バタルフィールド**

 **Chapter XVI: All is Fair in Love and War**

The air was filled bullets flying in all direction mixing in with the sound of wounded. Creating a cacophony heard only on the battlefield. Jaune spit out the salty sea water from his mouth and wiped his face to clear his vision. A wave roughly washed in behind him making him stumble as he tried to make his way to dry land. Enemy rounds sprayed the water all around him and whizzed by him as he felt his feet sinking into the sandy ground.

Looking around, he saw countless dead bodies floating in the blood-soaked water. Grimacing at the sight he looked around for his squad and saw most them struggling just like him trying to make it to beach.

Heavy rain drops splattered off his helmet and he felt a chill run through his body from the cold. _'So much for an easy landing.'_ Gripping his rifle, he looked up at the hail of enemy gunfire coming from the beachhead and sluggishly made his way through the waist high water.

* * *

 **(A Few Days Ago…)**

Blake squinted her eyes as she stepped through a bulkhead that lead to the outside deck. The warm sun beat down upon her and she briefly thought of removing her jacket to help cool off from the heat but decided against it, as the walk back to her quarters was quite the jaunt from where she currently was.

After receiving orders to land in the port city of Vale, Blake and the other soldiers, found themselves quite busy for the next few days loading onto to the ships in preparations for the upcoming attack.

But, once the fleet set sail though, boredom set in for the soldiers and many tried occupying themselves with anything they could find. Whether that be in the form of playing card games, sleeping below decks, or puking over the side of the railings from sea sickness. Most found a means to pass the time.

For Blake, she had played more than a few card games with the soldiers, but staying below decks in the cramped spacing made her feel slightly claustrophobic and she decided to head up to grab some fresh air. She looked to his right and saw a group of sailors holding fishing poles over the side of the ship as they casually chatted to each other.

Seeing that gave her an idea and she headed over to them to see were they got the equipment. Minutes later she too found herself casting a line over the edge and waiting for a bite. Leaning against the railing she closed her eyes and soaked in the suns rays as she relished in the warm weather.

Her eyes shot upon when she felt a tug on the line and she excitedly started to reel in the line only to groan when she saw that a piece of seaweed was attached to the hook.

Reeling the fishing line in the rest of the way she placed the seaweed down beside her for later use, before rebaiting the hook and throwing it back into the ocean. This process was repeated for quite sometime until at last she felt a massive tug on the pole. The yank was so hard that she almost lost her grip on the fishing pole but was saved when a pair of hands reached out and grabbed ahold of the pole.

Turning her head, she saw that the pair of hands belonged to Jaune who was behind her. Giving him an appreciative nod the two of them struggled for a few moments before being rewarded with a flopping fish on the deck. Jaune started to pull out Crocea Mors but was stopped when she shook her head at him.

"You need a proper knife for cutting fish, fortunately, I have one with me." Jaune took note of the fishing gear beside her and nodded his agreement.

"Ah I see, well I don't know to much about fishing, I thought my knife would suffice for the cutting." She clicked her tongue at him which made him raise an eyebrow at the action.

"If your going to cut a fish you must do it properly. They deserve nothing less."

"Well if that's how you feel about fish, then you must obviously like to eat them. What's your favorite kind of fish then?"

She locked eyes with Jaune and smirked. "That would be hands down tuna, the way the meat just melts on the taste buds is heaven." He pursed his lips at the statement. "Huh, fair enough then. But now here's the real question, how well are you at cooking fish?"

At this, Blake paused in her cutting. "It's not my best strongpoint, my mother was always better at it than me." Jaune lightly snorted. "Well if memory serves me correct, I believe Corporal Ren is an avid cook. At least in the creation of pancakes."

"Perhaps so, we'll see if he's better than me after we catch some more fish."

"Would you mind teaching me how to gut fish then, I'd like to share the load." Blake nodded her head at his request and continued to skin the fish. Jaune reattached another bait on the hook and threw it over the edge before turning back to her.

"Well while were waiting, let's chat about something to pass the time. Hmm, ah I got it. Where are you from Belladonna?" Blake mulled the question in her head for a few moments and even glanced at Jaune for a second as she debated on her answer.

"My family is from the territory of Menagerie in a city called Kuo Kuana. The climate is warm weather most of the year with a rainy season that lasts a few months. I wouldn't go as far to say its tropical weather, but it's a fairly nice place to live."

"That sounds nice. I'm from a small town in the middle of nowhere. Mostly farmland now that I think about it. Everything was peaceful, and nothing ever happened. And by nothing, I seriously mean nothing went on there, it was so boring. Anyways, the weather there I guess was mild in temperature? Not chilly but neither was it really hot."

Blake leaned up against the railing as the sea breeze lightly blew through her hair. "That sounds like a nice place to live." A melancholic smile graced her face. "The last few months has only been mud and grime as far as the eyes can see. Keeping clean is almost impossible in those conditions." She looked over at Jaune. "Are planning on going back there when this is all over?"

"Ironically, I miss nothing ever happening. When I was leaving to go to war. They were looking for a school teacher. I think after all of this is over I'll head back and see if I can apply for that position."

"A teacher huh, hmm not a bad job to pick. I'm not sure what I want to do after the war, maybe I'll take over my family's business."

"Oh, and what's that?"

"My father is on the city council, he wanted me to take over for him, but the war happened and that has been put on hold until the war is over."

Jaune nodded as he cast the fishing line out again. "That type of job isn't really my cup of tea, but I wish the best of luck if you accept the offer."

The two of them continued to banter back and forth, pausing every once in awhile when Jaune would catch a fish. Time quickly passed by, and the two of them noticed the sun had started to set on the horizon. Seeing that they caught more than enough fish. Jaune called up the rest of his platoon and soon enough the smell of cooked fish filled the air.

Cheerful chatter filled the air as everyone partook in the feast with not a care in the world. Jaune laughed at a joke someone just told him as he turned the fish over, so it would not burn and noticed how the light reflected off Blake's eyes as she keenly watched the fish.

' _Is she drooling?'_ Taking a closer look at her mouth he saw her lips glistening from the grill fire but no drool, so he dismissed the stray thought and politely turned his gaze away before being caught staring at her mouth.

He was about to take his first bite when a private from another platoon came up to him and told him Ozpin wanted to see him immediately.

' _Really, right as I'm about to eat! The madness and cruelty of it all.'_

Making his way to the officer's quarters he knocked on the door to Ozpin's room and was motioned in. "Sir with all due respect, did you need to see me immediately, I'm missing a tasty dinner."

Ozpin swung around in his chair and shrugged. "This will only take a few moments of your time Lieutenant. We've received another report for the upcoming attack. As far as we know, you will be going up against Colonel Arthur Watts, he oversees and will be defending the area around Mt. Glenn. You're looking at around a regiment or so of enemy forces defending the Mt, with only a battalion defending the city. The plan is to remain the same, two battalions will go in on the first wave and securing a beachfront before bringing in additional reinforcements."

Jaune pinched his nose. "I've heard the name before, wasn't he a doctor or something before the war?"

"You are indeed correct, which makes me wonder why he's at Mt. Glenn, perhaps he's doing experiments for the Imperials?"

"Wouldn't know sir, I'll ask him if we bump into each other."

"Please do, but I won't hold you any longer, the rest of the report doesn't concern you or your platoon. This was the only thing I needed to tell you, go enjoy your dinner and interact with your men. We'll be starting the attack in a few days, prepare yourself. Dismissed."

Jaune saluted Ozpin and left the room. His thoughts dwelled on the new information briefly before his stomach shifted his thoughts to dinner. _'I wonder how good the fish will taste?'_

He never did find out who ate all the fish, including his share that was on his plate…

* * *

"Go, Go! Get off the beach!" Jaune yanked up a soldier who had just stumbled on the wet sand. They sent him a thankful look right as a bullet smashed through their head, effectively ending their life. He grimaced at the sight and wiped the viscous matter off his face.

The sounds of machine guns could be heard thumping away as they sprayed the sand with hundreds of rounds. Field guns blew apart whole swaths of men and equipment as they tried to push up the beach. Many soldiers never even made it to land before their boat came under fire, and decimated them.

An explosion to his right made him dive to the ground as a mangled body flew right over him and knocked over another soldier who was right next to him. Raising his rifle, he saw the flash of muzzles coming from the opposing trench. Lining up a shot, he felt the kick in his shoulder as the round flew out and struck his target.

Looking to his left he saw a group of soldiers crouching down in a crater and he hastily made his way over to them. "What are you doing down there!?" They all looked up at him as a burst of machine gun fire sent a few bullets into his chest armor. He stumbled from the impacts, but stood right back up and returned fire. "If you wanna live, get your asses off this beach!" Another bullet ricochet off his arm bracer as he signaled for them to follow him. Seeing him shrug off the attack they scrambled out of the crater and followed closely behind him. A small embankment offered some protection from the enemy fire and they all dove for cover as another hail of bullets sprayed the ground around them.

The fighting grew intense as each side tried to push the other back, explosions filled the air as the hiss of bullets sought out their targets. With the enemy dug in securely, the Atlesian's lost hundreds of men before even reaching land and lost hundreds more as they stormed the beach.

Friendly artillery support was limited as Command wanted to keep civilian casualties as low as possible. This made it increasingly difficult for the allied soldiers to secure the beach and the casualties quickly pilled up.

More than a few times, a soldier would use the corpse of the soldier next to him as a meat shield against the onslaught. Until the beachhead was taken, no tank or mortar support would be given. Officers tried their best to rally their soldiers, but many were cut down, creating disorder among the ranks.

"Focus your fire on the ridge to the right, keep them suppressed!" Jaune fired the remaining rounds in his rifle and ducked back down to reload. He crawled over to a Lewis gun crew and pointed at a part of the enemy trench. "Shift your fire right, enemies on the ridge, take them out!"

He leaned over to the soldier next to him. "Third squad on my signal I want you to throw grenades onto that ridge over there." He pointed at nearby soldier. "Sergeant gather your men after they throw the grenades I want you to storm that trench. We'll provide covering fire."

Standing up he emptied his magazine and pointed at the trench. "Grenade's out!" The handheld explosives were lobbed into the air and exploded a few seconds later. The screams of Imperial soldiers wounded reached his ears and motioned at the sergeant. "Move up!" He tapped the helmet of the Lewis gunner. "Covering fire!"

The Atlesian soldiers scrambled up the embankment and sadly many of them were cut down by the defenders. Jaune gestured for another squad to move up and when they reached the top, he heard a field gun as it blasted away the squad. He grimaced at the sight and looked around for a demolition expert. And saw a familiar person.

"Valkyrie get your ass up here! I need your expertise!" Moments later a soot covered Nora made her way over and looked at Jaune expectantly. "I need you to hit that gun, range thirty meters, you'll need to arc your shot!"

A massive grin broke out on her face as she loaded her weapon and aimed it into the air. "Fire in the hole!" The grenade was thrown into the air and everyone near her watched with hopeful eyes as it sailed through the air and out of view. Moments later an explosion, followed by a ball of fire was seen ahead of them and they all cheered.

Jaune gave her a thumb's up and pointed towards another part of the beach. "Follow me, we need to go help them out." The two of them ducked their heads as they crouch sprinted their way over to Yang who was currently loading in a shell. "Grenade! Get down!" A soldier yelled as they dove for cover.

Yang looked up and saw the grenade sailing through the air towards them and raised her shotgun into her shoulder. Lining up her sights, she pulled the trigger and shot the grenade out of the sky. She looked at the soldiers next to her. "Come on you guys, its just a grenade." Many of them gave her a flabbergasted look at what she had just done.

"Sergeant, it seems you have everything under control here." She shifted her attention to Jaune and Nora and grinned. "Completely." He nodded and scanned the area around him. "We need to push up off the beach, take your squad up the ridge over there, I'll take another squad up the ridge to your right." She nodded and signaled to her squad to follow her.

Jaune motioned to Nora who followed close behind him as they made their way up the hill, with the enemy putting up so much resistance, many Atlesian soldiers died before even reaching the enemy trenches overlooking the beaches. But with the help of Nora blowing up machine guns, and Yang's squad clearing out the trenches, a tenuous foothold had been secured on the beaches.

Jaune reloaded his rifle and noticed how he was getting low on ammo, looking around the wet ground he knelt in the mud and scavenged some ammo from a dead soldier. The moment of respite was interrupted when the sound of a shell whistled in the air. He looked up just in time to see it coming down near his position. "Everyone! Get down!" He lunged forward and tackled Nora to the ground as he covered with his body.

The shell exploded upon impact and blew apart flesh and ground like it was nothing. Jaune covered his head as he was pelted with the dirt and debris from the sky. Shaking of the feeling of nausea from the explosion he pushed himself off Nora and pushed off the debris that had landed on his back. Even though his vision was swimming and his ears were ringing he looked around to see bodies strewn out on the ground.

"Everyone who's not dead, sound off!" The sound of groaning and the occasional grunt filled the air as the soldiers around him called out that they were alive. Stumbling to his feet he located his rifle and picked it off the ground.

"We need to go find those field guns and take it out, we don't need anymore casualties. He shouldered his rifle and swept the trench in front of him as he made his down it. A group of enemy soldiers rounded the corner and he fired off a few rounds, dropping them. Stepping over the dead bodies he continued his search and finally found the field guns and its crews.

"Nora! Pop some red dust! We need to cover our attack." Jaune whispered just loud enough so his voice could be heard over the gunshots.

"Copy that boss." She reached down to her belt and took off one of the smoke canister's. Popping the pin, she wound her arm back before sending it to the field guns in front of them.

Jaune pulled the pin from the grenade in his hand and tossed it into the area. "Go!" He rounded the corner and opened fire on the confused gun crews. The soldiers behind him also followed suit and after a few tense moments the enemy field guns were silenced. Having a second to breath he turned to Nora with an annoyed expression.

"Nora, I said red dust, that's not red!" Surely enough, rather than a bright plume of red smoke covering the area, a large pink cloud furled away in the wind instead.

Grinning a bit too suspiciously, Nora shrugged as she reached for another canister marked with the word red. "No idea boss, must have gotten the red dust mixture off."

Jaune sighed at his subordinate's actions but decided not to think too deeply into the subject matter. The smoke worked just the same regardless of its color.

Approaching footsteps made everyone there aim their weapons down a trench only to lower them when a squad of friendlies rounded the corner. He sent a nod to the leader.

"Belladonna, glad to see your still with us." She was soaked head to toe and shivered slightly as she acknowledged his greeting. "Next time we all go to beach, let's go when its not raining." A round of agreement filled the air as everyone had very similar thought on their mind of the weather.

"Well whether were fighting or not, its still going to rain. So, let's get this battle over and we can find somewhere dry and warm." This time disheartened grunt met his ears, and he couldn't blame them. He was tired of being in his wet uniform as well. "Alright, cut the belly aching, let's move out."

* * *

The initial push into the city had been mostly successful, but the struggle continued for a foothold. Currently Jaune and his group were tasked with the mission to silence an enemy machine gun nest that was the only resistance left in their district of the city. Once taken, a solid foothold on the city would be theirs for the night.

Jaune dove for cover as a hail of bullets shattered the stone wall behind him. Leaning out he popped off a few rounds before taking cover once more. Glancing beside him he saw Blake stand up and fire a burst from her weapon. Not wanting to be outdone, he leaned out and killed an enemy soldier as they tried to cross the open street.

He signaled to Nora who quickly made her way up to him. "I need you to nail that machine gun nest and take it out." She shook her head sadly. "Sorry boss, I'm out of ammo for the grenade launcher." He gave her a surprised look. "What, seriously!? Damn, well this made things much harder."

Racking his brain for a plan he snorted when one came to him. Nora having been apart of many of his improvised plans grinned at the snort. "What's your ingenious plan!"

He reached over and took a grenade off Blake's belt and gestured to Nora's club. "You ever play baseball Valkyrie?" Catching onto his plan, Nora pulled out her club and laid in on her shoulder. "Indeed, I have! you ready?" Giving her a nod he took a deep breath and pulled the pin on the grenade. She cocked her arm back as the two of them stepped out of cover into the street.

He tossed the grenade into the air and ducked down just in time as she swung her arm forward and smashed her club into the grenade, making it soar through the air. "Fore!" Pulling out his pistol, he returned fire as the two of them quickly made their way back into cover.

The explosive soared through the air and landed near the nest. The ensuing explosion disabled the machine gun and made anyone who had seen the grenade flying dive for cover.

"Great job, but I'm not about to run headlong into them on this open street. Belladonna take six soldiers and go up the alleyway on the right, I'll take another six and go up the left side. The rest of you stay here and provide support."

Taking another calming breath, he sprinted as fast as his legs could go and ran across the street. Bullets whizzed by him as he crossed to the other side and took cover behind the building. The rest of the soldiers made it across safely as well and he motioned for them to follow him.

Carefully making their way down the alleyway, the small group of soldiers scanned the surrounding buildings around them for any signs of enemy activity. Catching movement to his upper left, Jaune aimed his rifle and sighed in relief when he saw that it was only a cat.

The hiss of a bullet filled the air and the soldier directly behind him cried out in pain as the bullet struck them in the arm. Scanning the windows, Jaune tried to locate the shooter but was not quick enough as more shots were fired on them.

"Spread out!" Jaune lowered his rifle and smashed the buttstock against a door that was right next to him, before lunging in just in time, as a few bullets impacted the area he was previously occupying. Unfortunately, not all the soldiers had gotten out of the way in time, as two lay wounded on the ground with another dead lying beside them.

Cursing under his breath he pulled a dust canister from his belt and was about to pull the pin when more enemy shots killed the two wounded soldiers.

"Fuck." He pointed at one of the soldiers with him and gestured to the stairs across from them. "Get up stairs and give me some cover, I'll try and flush the enemy out."

He carefully peered out the door and recoiled back sharply as the wood splintered next to him from the enemy firing. Taking a calming breath, he lay down on his back and shouldered the rife before kicking himself out of the door.

Locating the enemy in the upper floor window of the house in front of him, he fired and saw the soldier drop from view when they were hit. Signaling for the other soldier to follow him, he ran to the house and sent a wordless hand signal. Jaune wasted no time and kicked in the door scanning for any enemy soldiers.

"First floor clear! Moving up." The two of them made their way to second story and saw the dead Imperial soldier on the wooden floor. "House secured, let's go."

Making his way back down stairs, they were joined by the other soldier and the three of them made their way down the rest of the alleyway and saw the enemy still firing from the machine gun nest, albeit with no machine gun as it was damaged.

Seeing movement across from him, he saw a familiar black-haired woman and gave the hand signal for a grenade. He unclipped a grenade from his belt, and pulled the pin before cooking the grenade for a few seconds. "Grenade!" He lobed it in the direction of the nest and saw Blake doing the same. Moments later the two grenades went off and the nearby firing stopped. Leaning out, Jaune saw the dead bodies and signaled the all clear sign.

Stepping out, he took note of Blake missing two soldiers in her group and mentally sighed at the losses.

"Everyone good work, mission complete, take a moment to rest. We've captured this area. Belladonna I need you too…" He turned around expecting to the young woman only to find that she had vanished from sight. "Sir the sergeant went over that way." A private pointed down a narrow alleyway. He mumbled underneath his breath as he thanked the private and made his way over to the alleyway...

* * *

Blake leaned out from the side of a ruined a building and cautiously scanned the surrounding area for any enemies. Using her superior sense of hearing, she had heard a sound coming from her right a few yards ahead of her and she went to investigate.

Following the noise, she heard someone groaning and upon entering a mostly destroyed house, she saw an injured child lying on the floor under some rubble.

Quickly making her way over she knelt, and upon moving the debris away, noticed that there was a large gash across their stomach exposing the organs with a big pool of blood beneath them. Grimacing at the sight. She was no medic, but even she could tell that there was no saving the child from dying. Starting to unpack her medical supplies she found a vial of morphine packed neatly with a small roll of bandages.

Wanting to ease the suffering of the child she would administer just enough morphine to put them to sleep and probably kill them afterwards. Just as she was about to stick the needle into their leg, the kid's eyes fluttered open and bleary looked towards her.

"M-mommy?" She paused and looked at the child's face and sadly smiled. "Mommy's here, just lay still, I'm going to give you something to make you feel better." Sticking the needle into their shoulder she rubbed the area for a few seconds.

"Mommy my tummy hurts!" Reaching down she grabbed their small bloody hands and grasped them firmly in her own. "I know it does, but I gave you some medicine to make the pain go away." A small noise behind her made her turn her head around to see Jaune standing in the doorway.

She turned back around to child, "M-mommy, I wish daddy was here. Why did he leave?" Blake didn't quite know how to answer at first, but taking a quick glance back she knew her answer. "Daddy's here, he just got back from work. Here he is." She waved Jaune over who slung his weapon over his shoulder and made his away to kneel beside Blake.

"Hey there, daddy's back from work." He gently grabbed one of the child's hands from Blake's hands and held it in his. The child nodded their head weakly at the lie and smiled. "Daddy now that your home, can we go to the park and have a picnic, all three of us?" Jaune smiled and squeezed their small hand. "Of course, but why don't you close your eyes and take a small nap, that way mommy and I can change."

When they closed their eyes, Jaune and Blake both shared a look between each other before looking back at the child. A peaceful expression was now on their face. Their breathing slowed down and after a few more minutes they lay still. Jaune squeezed their hand again before laying it across their chest. "Sleep tight, kiddo."

He looked over at Blake who had a conflicted look on her face. "Hey you okay?" She looked at him with glistening eyes. "I killed them." he gave her an incredulous look. "How?" She held up the vial of morphine and Jaune knew what she meant, he reached over and softly grabbed her shoulder. "Hey, listen to me, you didn't kill them, you eased their suffering and let them pass on in peace, this isn't your fault."

"Isn't it though?! We fight for freedom and yet innocent people get killed because of our actions. This kid may have been on the other side, but they still had their whole life ahead of them! So yes, I killed them because I am fighting in this forsaken war!" A tear slid down her face and Jaune leaned over and brushed it away before gently pulling her head to his shoulder. She hit his chest weakly and he felt her body softly shaking. "It's not fair."

He wrapped his arms around her and laid his head on hers. "War's not fair, and that's why we need to fight to end it so something like never happens again." He felt her nod under his head and after a few moments felt her shift away from his arms. "You alright?"

She took a deep breath in and exhaled. "Yes, sorry about that, its my burden to bear." Jaune lightly grasped her shoulder and looked directly at her. "It doesn't have to be, I'm right here whenever you need someone to share the burden." An appreciative look was sent his way before she gestured to the child. "Will you help me lay them to rest?" Jaune sadly smiled. "I can do that."

* * *

 **Wanted to add some more bonding moments between Jaune and Blake, hope you don't mind. And as always, any and all feedback and reviews is greatly appreciated. I don't think I would have gotten this far without all the support you all have given me.**


	17. Into the Abyss

**I know I've been on a haitus for awhile, haven't been in the writing mood lately. But I wasn't completely idle with the time as I still did research and gathered my thoughts. Dragon and I were bouncing messages back and forth like crazy.**

 **(Q A)**

 **SnowPegasi: I was thinking of doing a Christmas chapter soon for this story and it was going to loosely focus on the Christmas Truce, so yeah.**

 **NightshadeDawn34: Mission success then.**

 **Booker.338: Well I was thinking of starting a discord or something to keep everyone a bit more in the loop, but thank you for the heads up.**

 **WackyNerd: Thank you so much! I really wanted to give a 'mostly' historically accurate story on WW1 and I'm glad all my researching is paying off.**

 **WinterBreath0602: Yes the main pairing is Jaune and Blake.**

 **Like I said above, what do you all think about a Discord? DragonManMax suggested the idea to me and I like the idea since its not exactly easy to provide updates that is easy for everyone to see and not irk someone in the process. Let me know in a PM or something if you like the idea.**

 **(I do not own RWBY)**

* * *

 **ザー・ソールジュズ・バタルフィールド**

 **Chapter XVII: Into the Abyss**

A hazy fog covered the city and obscured the surrounding area as Jaune walked down a street, slowly down every once and awhile to regain his bearings before resuming his walking. Moments later he saw Ruby sitting down on a wall of sandbags drawing something in a notebook and waved at her to get her attention.

"Sergeant Rose, how's life?" She paused in her sketching and smiled at him. "Hey Lieutenant, nothing much, just writing down an idea of mine." She lifted the notebook towards him and he took a quick look at it.

"Ah, a new weapon design I see." He could tell that she was designing an air-cooled, top-fed box magazine weapon. "This looks like a modified version of the Madsen light machine gun?"

"You would be correct in thinking so, I did base the overall design off that weapon platform, but having the privilege of using the weapon, I thought there could be improvements made to the system. The Madsen, Lewis, or the Chauchat just to name a few, are popular with troops as they offer greater firepower than the bolt-action rifle but are much lighter than the heavy water-cooled machine guns we still use."

"You're not wrong, but you do know that water-cooled weapons can be fired much longer than the air-cooled machine guns we have. What you gain in portability, you lose in extendibility."

Ruby grinned and pointed at the finned barrel. "Not a problem, I took that knowledge in mind and added a quick-change feature, so instead of having to wait for the barrel to cool down, you can just swap it out for another cooled down one and resume firing. Something else I added, was a recoil spring in the buttstock to help with dispelling energy made from the bolt cycling backwards. Should help in theory with the recoil kick."

Jaune snorted. "I feel like you should have been a weapons designer instead. Knowledge like this is wasted on grunts like us." He gestured to her rifle. "Then again, you've more than proven yourself as an excellent sniper. You had an impressive record before coming under my command."

Ruby's smile changed into a sad one as she played with her fingers. "Yeah, and you know what that got me. A nickname that haunts me to this day."

Jaune laid a hand on hers and spoke softly. "Hey, don't be like that. For every person you've killed, how many more have you saved in return? I know for one that I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you providing support."

She looked up at him with a conflicted look in her eyes. "Then shouldn't I be designing something to save live rather than taking them?"

"Nothing's stopping you from doing that. But the idea you have here in this notebook is something that shouldn't be put up on a shelf and left to collect dust. Don't waste the talents that have been given to you. Accept the things you've done, learn from them and move on in your life."

"Have you? Have you accepted the things you've done in this war? The decisions, the death." Ruby stared at him awaiting his answer.

Jaune leaned back and looked up at the cloudy sky. "I have, I've accepted the fact that if I don't kill the person who's trying to kill me, they will move on and try to kill those who I've come to view as family. And I refuse to let that happen if I can stop it. I want to go home, and I know the only way that is going to happen is by ending this war."

Ruby contemplated his answer in her head and after a few moments slowly nodded her head. The hairs on the back of her neck raised and she grabbed Jaune by his jacket and yanked him down on top of her as a bullet shattered the window behind them.

"Thanks Rose, I owe you one." He rolled off her and peeked his head out over the sandbags and saw a group of Imperial soldiers approaching their position. In his peripheral he saw Ruby aiming her rifle.

She pulled the trigger and he saw two of the enemy soldier's heads explode in shower of visceral blood and brain matter from the shot. The happy expression she had previously was now replaced by a cold calculating expression. She racked the bolt and loaded in another round before firing once more at the enemy.

He filed the knowledge away for another time as he joined her in repelling the enemy. As more enemy soldiers poured into the street, Atlesian soldiers started to appear and the heated skirmish continued for a while until the enemy forces retreated into the fog.

 _'How did the enemy get behind us? This area of the city was cleared, and we did a thorough sweep of the buildings and didn't find any more Imperial soldiers.'_ Jaune motioned to Ruby and few other soldiers to follow him as he walked down the street.

 _'I don't know how they got behind us, it's possible we missed a group of enemy soldiers on our initial sweep of the area. But why did they retreat to where we landed?_ ' The small group swept the area were the enemy soldiers had retreated but could find no sign of where they had gone.

Jaune scratched his head in confusion and looked down at the ground as he gathered his thoughts. He took note of a manhole that lead down to sewers and paused in his thinking. _'No, they couldn't have.'_ Reaching down he lifted the lid and instead of rearing back from the expected stench he only smelled stale air. _'Fuck man, what am I a tunnel rat?'_ Standing back up he pointed at the uncovered hole. "I think they went down here."

Ruby pinched her nose and made her way to peer down into the dark hole. "Rose there's no smell coming from below." She stopped pinching her nose and gave a tentative sniff before looking at Jaune. "Your right, that's weird there's no smell. Perhaps the sewer label is a cover-up?" Jaune shrugged, "You may be right, or the system hasn't been used yet, either way I need you to go inform Major Ozpin of this, I'll gather a platoon and check it out." She nodded and gestured for another soldier to follow her as she walked away.

Jaune looked at the soldiers still with him. "I highly doubt when they called us pieces of shit back in boot camp they were thinking we'd be searching a sewer line." Grumbling filled the area as many of the soldiers rummaged through their equipment for cloths to cover their noses if the need arose later.

A little while later Jaune and the platoon were sweeping the sewage tunnel with pistols in one hand and lamps in the other. Lights up ahead made Jaune raise his hand in the air and signaled to the group to stay put as he moved up ahead to peer around the corner of the tunnel.

He was surprised to not only find the connecting tunnel was well light, but also way bigger than the current one he was in. Motioning for the group to move up, he extinguished his lamp and hooked it onto his belt as he unslung his rifle to scan the bigger tunnel in both directions for any person's but found none.

Laying around the area were piles of railroad tracks and wooden beams, with the occasional tool lying about as well.

"What is this place?" Someone asked in hushed tone.

Jaune pointed at the steel tracks. "I've heard of cities modernizing themselves by putting the tram car underground to make more room for cars on the streets above. Perhaps this is one of the tunnels, I mean it would explain the railroad tracks at least."

He made his way over to one of the piles and saw that a thin layer of dust had settled on the surface, showing that it hadn't been disturbed for quite some time. Catching something in the corner of his vision he knelt and discovered a bloody bandage on the ground. The blood was still fresh.

"Stay frosty everyone, were not alone down here." Showing the cloth to everyone, they all nodded their heads.

The group continued their sweep of the tunnel but was unable to find any more clues as to where the retreating Imperials had gone. The one thing they did discover was that the further they went, the more developed the surrounding area became. Soon enough, they came across a mostly constructed tunnel with tracks laid on the ground and a few signs on the walls.

"Well I guess I was right, they seem to have been building a subway system of sorts. I wonder if these tunnels cover the entire city." Jaune studied a map on the wall as he tried to answer his own question.

"Sir, does any of the tunnels lead up to the mountain? It would make attacking it so much easier." He looked for any lines going away from the city and was pleasantly surprised that there were indeed a few lines that lead to Mt. Glenn.

"Well shit, there are some. We'll have to get this info back to Command." One of the Atlesians scanning the area yelled in pain as a bullet smashed into their shoulder, making them fall to the ground in pain. Everyone dove for cover as the enemy continued to open fire on them.

"Lock and load, take them out!" Jaune popped up and fired off a few rounds before ducking down.

Gunfire was traded back and forth as the two sides tried to push the other one back. Regrettably for Jaune and his platoon, they were quickly surrounded on both sides and the number of injured rose.

"Miller's down! He needs a medic!" A soldier grabbed ahold of the wounded man but slumped forward when a bullet struck his heart. Killing them instantly. Jaune clenched his jaw as he tried to go for the fallen soldier, but was forced to take cover as the enemy fire was too intense.

Once more trying to go for the soldier, he stopped when a few rounds struck the man, killing him. Looking at the remaining soldiers beside him he took note that only about a dozen or so of the original group was still able to fight. Things were starting to look bleak as the platoon was completely cut off from the way they had come.

Knowing that if things continued the way they were going, all of them would be killed or captured, he yelled for the radio operator. The Corporal made their way over and Jaune keyed the radio asking for assistance. But was only met with static. Trying once more, he was met with the same result.

He fiddled with the radio and opened the bandwidth and spoke into the mic. "This is Arc 187, transmitting in the blind, I repeat, transmitting in the blind!" We need immediate assistance. Is anyone out there?" Silence was his reply and he exhaled in frustration.

"You two, I need grenades thrown to that side of the wall. Jackson throw a smoke grenade to give us cover. We need to break through to get out here. Move or die people!"

Jaune pulled out Crocea Mors and took the lead in breaking through the enemy. Lining up his iron sights, he dropped an Imperial soldier and continued forward. Another enemy popped out from behind a corner and not having time to slow down he tackled the soldier to the ground and slashed them across the face, making them scream in pain.

Scrambling back up, he flinched as a round ricochet off his chest armor but that didn't stop him from acquiring the shooter and killing them. The flash of a bayonet made him raise his left arm, deflecting the blade upwards. He shoved his pistol into their chest and fired off two rounds before kicking them away.

The platoon had made good progress and were soon back into the less developed area of the subway. With the enemy only at their backs now. Their breathing room was bit less constrictive. Jaune pulled the pin on a grenade and lobbed it behind him. He sheathed his knife and waved at his men.

"Go, Get the wounded out of here. I'll hold them off." He shouldered his rifle and felt the kick of the rifle as he fired off the entire clip towards the enemy. A grenade came sailing through the air and without putting too much thought into his own safety, smashed the grenade with the buttstock of his rifle back towards the enemy before diving to the ground with his arms covering his head. The explosive went off and he felt a stinging pain on his right forearm, looking at his arm he saw that a thin piece of metal had lodged its way into his forearm bracer and was sticking out of the armor.

 _'Well damn, I'll have to thank Neo for these bracers next time I see her.'_

He stood up and hastily made his way to where his men had gone and was thankful that they had been able to get away relatively safely. The tunnels still needed to be cleared out of the new threat below, but that would have to wait until another time when it wasn't just him. But for now, it was his turn to make his getaway and he wasted no time in doing so...

* * *

Penny reached down and grabbed a pair of pliers from her belt and dislodged the metal fragment in Jaune's armor. Inspecting the metal meticulously she saw that there were a few more dents present on the metal, but overall it seemed in decent condition. She handed the bracer back to Jaune who had a small bandage wrapped around his forearm.

"Thanks, I didn't think I could get it out without cutting my fingers."

"Not a problem sir, your request was an easy one to fulfill." She put the plyers back on her belt and smiled at Jaune. "If you do not mind me asking. By what means did you manage to get a piece of metal lodged in your arm?"

"A mailman dropped off a letter filled with explosive words. Got a papercut from throwing it away."

She tilted her head and gave him a confused look. "My apologies, but I do not understand what a mailman has to do with question."

Jaune cleared his throat and a sheepish expression crossed his face. "Ah, it doesn't really have anything to do with the question, it was from an enemy grenade going off near me. Sorry for the confusion."

Understanding what he meant now, she nodded her head. "You used the mailman as an analogy for the grenade being thrown and exploding. I shall file this information away, so it can be used at an appropriate time later."

It was now Jaune's turn to take on a confused look as he found her way of speaking different than what he was used to hearing. His response was of the highest caliber. "Okay then."

Reattaching the bracer, Jaune adjusted it till it was where he wanted it. "With the upcoming operation, we will definitely be needing your assistance on the battlefield. This will be the perfect time to test the new additions to your tank."

"Correct, I believe this will help provide crucial data, perhaps this battle will even show me areas of weakness to improve upon as well."

"I need to go have a chat with the Major, so I'll leave you to it. Good luck out there." He gathered his gear and walked towards the temporary Command post that had been set up in one of the city's squares. On his way there he passed by Belladonna who upon seeing him jogged over and nodded her greetings.

"Lieutenant, I heard you had quite a skirmish down below. Glad to see you're still in one piece. We wouldn't want to lose everyone's favorite officer now would we?" He raised an eyebrow at her. "Why Sergeant, I do believe I can hear you voice dripping with sarcasm."

Blake stopped momentarily and looked at him dead in the eye. "Perhaps the last part, but I really am glad that you're safe. The thought of you dying is not something I want to entertain."

She gently raised her arm and touched his bandaged arm. "Just don't get yourself killed. Please." He wordlessly nodded, and she dropped her arm back to her side. "Good, now where were you heading?"

"To see Major Ozpin, I know he's already been informed of the underground threat, but I wanted to go over the attack plan for assaulting Mt. Glenn once more, seeing as how we now have a potential tunnel route."

"I would think after clearing out at least the city of any enemy presence there will be a two-pronged attack on the mountain, one from below and one from above. Although with that said, I doubt with the injury you just received you'll be participating." Jaune just shrugged at what she said. The cut wasn't severe enough for him to not participate in the upcoming battle. But he'd follow whatever the Major decided for him.

The two of them made it the city square and found Ozpin sipping his ever-present coffee as he looked over a map of the surrounding area. "Ah Lieutenant, your timing couldn't be more impeccable. Your platoon's main objective alongside two other companies, will be to secure the Hagen Fortress near the base of the mountain. Intel suggests that only a company of Imperials are defending the fortress so taking it shouldn't be too much of a problem."

"Sir, wasn't there a saying somewhere that says for every man defending a place you need at least two to flush him out? We'll be at a disadvantage as we must fight uphill while they will be firing down at use from hardened defenses."

"Command has taken this into account and you will be aided not only by tanks, but by artillery as well."

"This plan sounds like it could easily fall to pieces. No plan survives first contact, I hope it doesn't backfire horrendously on us."

Ozpin sipped his coffee. "Then let's hope the plan survives and we won't have to worry about it backfiring now will we."

"You've been in this business long enough to know that's never going to happen. Also what of the new tunnel system that was discovered. Will we be using it to secure the mountain?" He motioned at a map on a table near him.

"Ah yes, that information is still being decided on by the higher ups. So for now the original plan is still in effect as of now."

"Understood, although I wouldn't be surprised in the least if the enemy has sealed off those tunnels so they don't get attacked from underground. But that's above my paygrade." Ozpin smiled at his statement. "As well as mine Lieutenant. Good luck out there."

* * *

Hundreds of Atlesian soldiers steadily walked up the side of mountain in disarrayed rows with tanks spread sporadically in-between them. Smoke and gunfire filled the air as each side fired on one another in an effort to push them back.

"Get up that hill! Use whatever cover you can!" Jaune pushed a fellow soldier down as a hail of bullets sprayed the ground near them. Turning his head, he saw Penny's tank rolling up behind him and he waved at the person riding atop of the tank. "Rose, shift your fire left and cover the advance!"

Ruby who was crouching on top of Penny's tank leaned her body right and fired a steady burst towards the enemy. Seeing a potential spot for an enemy machine gun to be set up she banged on the tank turret. "Penny, fire a round into that outcrop over there, I don't want our men ambushed!"

The tanks turret rotated the cannon and lined up her shot before firing the shell into the mountainside. Smaller explosions afterwards indicated that some type of explosives had been hit and were now going off from the shot.

"Great shooting you two, keep it up!" Jaune popped up and fired off a few rounds before jogging forwards a few yards to a pile of boulders. He leaned out and surveyed the area in front of him. "Keep it up everyone, I can see the fortress ahead of us."

Low rumbles filled the air and everyone looked up to see trails of smoke arcing into the sky. "Incoming artillery, take cover!"

Everyone scrambled for any type of cover as the shells rained down and pummeled the ground, sending dirt and debris into the air. A shell landed near Jaune and exploded, leaving him disorientated from the blast momentarily. Shaking his head in an effort to clear his vision he saw more than a few tanks and soldiers strewn across the slopping ground, burned and mangled beyond recognition.

Pushing the horrific sights to the back of his thoughts. He refocused his attention towards the enemy and continued forward. They were too far for the navel guns sitting offshore to provide support. That meant there really wasn't anything that could be done about the shelling until they stormed the fort. Bullets zipped by and sprayed the ground or ricocheted off the advancing tanks, some even ricocheted off of Jaune's armor, much to his chagrin.

As he advanced closer to the main objective, he saw a row of sandbags and logs subtle hidden into the mountainside. He squinted his eyes in an effort to identify what he was looking at, and was able to find his answer when it came alive with gunfire.

"Enemy trench! Shift your fire!" The soldiers around him adjusted their fire as even more enemy lead filled the air. Many of them yelled in pain as they were struck down by the enemy gunfire. Sneaking a glance back, he saw Ren and a few other medics trying their best to treat the wounded lying on the ground.

Knowing the wounded were in good hands he motioned a few hand signals to Ruby who in turn relayed the orders to Penny. Moments later explosions filled the trench, as the Atlesian tanks opened fire with their cannons. He took the opportunity presented to him and charged his way up the mountain. Many followed suit, and soon both sides clashed in a disarray of bodies and equipment.

Jaune swung his rifle and deflected a bayonet before tackling the Imperial to the ground. Slipping off his helmet, he bashed it into their face, making them scream in pain. He quickly reached down and drew his knife out, stabbing them in the chest. A rough hand grabbed him by the back and yanked him backwards, making him stumble into one of the trench walls.

He raised his arms just in time to stop the downward strike of a knife and grunted as he felt them pushing down harder. Not wanting to die, he kneaded them in the gut and took that moment to look around for a weapon. Outstretching his right hand, he was able to grab ahold of a nearby shovel and embed it into his attackers shoulder.

Not wanting to get caught off guard again, he swung it at another nearby enemy and heard a sickening crunch as it dug into their skull. Feeling the bile rise up his throat from the sight, he once again pushed aside the horror to the back of his mind and was able to keep his food down.

By now the trench around him had been mostly secured and Jaune was able to find his weapons on the ground before pushing forward through one of the trenches that lead towards the fortress. He alongside a few other soldiers swept the trench and upon rounding a corner yanked one of them back as a machine gun opened fire.

"Out of all the trenches they could have placed it, they put a machine gun in the one I'm clearing. Grenade out!" He pulled the pin and chucked it around the corner, silencing the gun when it went off. Satisfied that the immediate danger was out of the way he rounded the corner and was met with darkness...

Jaune opened his eyes groggily and felt his vision swimming as he took in the unfamiliar environment. A few other soldiers were next to him, tied up and on their knees. The sounds of footsteps echoed in the air, and moments later the single metal door in front of him opened and an Imperial Major walked into the bare room.

"Who are you and where are we." He subtly tried to break free of his bindings as he looked up at the man.

They waggled their finger and clicked their tongue at him. "Ah ah ah, I'll be the one asking questions. But with that said, I will answer your first question. I am Major Tyrian Callows. A pleasure Lieutenant." Callows gaze shifted away from him and to another prisoner. He knelt down and grinned at the shaking young woman.

"What a beautiful human specimen you are, my dear. Too bad... it will be such a waste." Without warning he drew out a knife, and stuck it into her left calf before turning it to the right sharply, resulting in the blade becoming one with the girl's muscles and bodily fluids for a moment before he pulled out.

Her frantic, painful scream echoed off the walls of the room and down the hallways. He laughed, but this was no ordinary laugh. This was a laugh of a man whose psyche had been destroyed long ago and nothing, but empty craziness remained.

His eyes gleamed with a murderous intent, causing the girl to tremble violently. Without warning, he raised his arm and stabbed it into her chest. She gagged as the blood slowly pooled inside her lungs.

"Hel-" the girl's voice was cut off with her body spiraling into shock. Jaune clenched his fists as he struggled to get out of his bindings. But was beaten to the punch when one of the men from the group stood up and charged at the deranged man.

"Let go of her! You sick fuck!" The Imperial pulled out the knife from the girl and threw it with deadly accuracy at them, lodging itself into their left thigh.

The man tripped and slid the rest of the distance, until he stopped right in front of Callows feet. He weakly struggled to push himself off the ground, but the Imperial kicked the boy onto his back before smashing his left foot on the young man's face, crushing it with a sickening crunch.

"And there someone goes and tries to ruin my fun, typical." The crazed man shrugged his shoulders before taking his sidearm from its holster and then turned his weapon to the girl still in his grasp and whispered, "Sweet dreams doll face." He then shot the girl point blank in the head, making parts of her skull and brain splatter about the ground.

"No! You bastard!" Jaune screamed as he finally managed to free his arms.

The Major who was now covered in the blood of his victim turned his attention to Jaune. "Ah, another one of you bugs that I have to crush, alright let's see what you've got." He holstered his sidearm, fully confident in his hand-to-hand combat skills. Jaune's face turned into a grimace before putting his arms and body into a fighting stance.

Both men slowly circled each other, neither one of them making a move other than with their eyes, observing their opponent. The facial expressions on each where as different as night and day. Jaune's face was that of grim determination, while Callows was a sadistic grin with crazed eyes.

"What's the matter? Too scared to face me? You coward," He taunted Jaune with his words. But something that Jaune learned during training, was never to rush into a situation without a plan, especially against an opponent that you didn't know. Now following it on the other hand was a different story. ' _Blake's going to chew me out afterwards for doing such a reckless move.'_

He let out a yell as he charged...

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! I will try my best to get the next part out soon.**

 **On that note, are any of you playing the new Monster Hunter World? It's become my new Dark Souls...I'm loving it.**


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